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DISCOURSES 01 THE SABBATH, 



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SETH WILLISTON, D. D. 

LATE PASTOR OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THAT PLACE. 



"Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath."— Nehemiah. 



NEW HAVEN, CONN. 
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM G. HOOKER. 






1847. 



\«*7 



§£jr The first edition of this work, published by Messrs. E. & E. Hosford, 
of Albany, in the year 1813, is now out of print; and probably not a copy can 
be found except in public or private libraries. 

The subscriber having obtained leave of the Author to publish a new edition, 
and having employed him to revise the work, has caused it to be stereotyped, 
with a view of furnishing it to such persons as wish to take the same in quan- 
tities, not less than one hundred copies, at cost — that it may be circulated 
gratuitously, by those who are able and willing to do it, or at a 6mall profit 
by those who purchase for sale. 

To promote the better observance of the Lord's Day, rather than pecuniary 
advantage, is the object of the republication of this very valuable work. 

W. G. HOOKER. 

Neio Haven, Conn. } 
September 1, 1847. \ 



STEREOTYPED BY G. M. DAVISON, 
BARATOGA f 






LC control Number 




tmp96 



027672 



PREFACE. 



These Discourses were first published in 1813. They originated in a request, 
made to the author by persons who were then forming associations for the pur- 
pose of suppressing certain prevalent immoralities, to furnish them with a tract 
which would be calculated to aid them in making a stand against the profana- 
tion of the sabbath; which was one of those immoralities the suppression of 
which they felt themselves under obligation to attempt. Having no tract in 
his possession adapted to this exigence, nor knowing where such a one could 
be found, he concluded to attempt to prepare one himself. By conversing with 
some of those friends of the sabbath, who were desirous of promoting its better 
observance, he learned that one great obstacle to their success arose from the 
different sentiments which were entertained, even among believers in the in- 
spiration of the scriptures, on the subject of sabbath sanctification and profa- 
nation, and concerning those things which ought, and those which ought not to 
be done on this holy day. He was also apprized of the fact that among pro- 
fessed Christians there were some who held the sentiment, that the New Tes- 
tament dispensation had released us from all r morcd obligation to keep holy the 
sabbath day ; leaving us at liberty to observe it or not, as we should see fit. 

These considerations determined the author of this work, in case he should 
write a tract on the sanctification of the sabbath, to make this his plan ; to spread 
out before his readers all those passages which he should find, in the Old and 
New Testaments, relating to the subject of the holy sabbath ; accompanying 
them with some brief explanatory and practical remarks. He thought that 
nothing could be adapted to have so much effect on a Christian community, as 
to hear what the Lord of the sabbath himself had said concerning this institu- 
tion. He remembered that Christ had said, " The words that I speak unto 
you, they are spirit, and they are life" 

The above plan was adopted and the work entered upon without any inten- 
tion of its being delivered from the pulpit. But before much progress was 
made in its preparation, it was determined to put it in the form of pulpit dis- 
courses ; for which a common text was selected suitable to the plan of the work ; 
(and which it is acknowledged might have been equally suitable to any other 
series of discourses undertaken on a similar plan.) The writer found it diffi- 
cult to bring so many passages of scripture into view, and accompany each 
passage with a few remarks, and yet compress his work into the small compass 



which is occupied by a tract. Instead of a pamphlet, which was all that 
he first thought of, he found himself unable to cany out his plan short of pro- 
ducing a volume. 

If this work has already exerted any good influence in promoting the sancti- 
fication of the sabbath, the author desires to be thankful that it was ever put 
into his heart to prepare it. And should its republication, at this interesting 
and critical period, do any thing to further the piety of the church and that of its 
offspring, particularly as it respects a more exemplary observance of the Lord's 
day; and should it afford any aid to those men who are worthily employed in 
seeking to convince the public that sabbath desecration, while it is a sin 
against God, is at the same time destructive of our national prosperity, the 
writer will feel himself laid under new obligation to render thanks to the Fa- 
ther of lights from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift. "Will not 
the friends of the sabbath and the friends of God, into whose hands this man- 
ual shall come, ask Him to make it instrumental of doing something to advance 
the interests of His kingdom, when he who wrote it shall have gone to his long 
home 1 That a Divine blessing may rest on all who shall read what is here 
written, is the devout wish of 

THE AUTHOR. 

Durham, N. Y. Sept. 1845. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 



FIKST DISCOUESE. 

John v. 39. 
Search the Scriptures. 



" The scriptures," or, as it is literally, the writings, do 
evidently in this place mean those holy writings, which we 
call the word of God. The Old Testament scriptures were 
written before the coming of Christ. To these he repeatedly 
referred for the proof of his Messiahship, and of his doc- 
trines. Jesus Christ most certainly treated these writings as 
being the inspired word of God, and a perfect standard of 
truth ; by which every thing relating to him and his king- 
dom, should be tried and determined. The holy scriptures, 
including both Testaments, make a rich store-house, from 
which the man of God is thoroughly furnished to every 
good work. Here he may learn what to believe about God, 
his law, his government, and his grace. Here he may learn 
the whole of his duty, both towards God, his fellow men, 
and himself. If he is ever at a loss on any point, let him 
immediately repair to these divine oracles, and he will here 
become acquainted with the decisions of Him who cannot 
err. Let him studiously and prayerfully search the scriptures, 
even as men search the mines for silver, and as they dig 
for hidden treasures ; and he will not fail to f ad instruction. 
This passage has not been chosen at this time, with a 
1* 



6 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

view to prove the divine inspiration of the scriptures ; or to 
show the importance of reading them ; or to point out the 
manner in which this duty should be performed, though 
these things would naturally grow out of the text : but it is 
my design, in this and several succeeding discourses, to 
comply with the Savior's command which is before us, so 
far as it relates to one specific point, namely, the weekly 
sabbath. By going through the Bible, with our eye fixed 
upon this one point, we shall be likely to obtain more dis- 
tinct views of it, than we should, if our attention were divided 
among a variety of objects. The inspiration of the scriptures 
will be taken for granted ; and the importance of hearing 
what God himself has said about his sabbath, cannot be 
disputed. 

Let us, my hearers, in the very outset of these discourses, 
feel how solemn a thing it is to come, to inquire at the 
oracles of the living God. A humble and a solemn frame 
of mind becomes us while making these inquiries, and while 
we listen to hear what God the Lord shall speak. Let it be 
remembered, that we are come to inquire on a very practical 
subject. If the Lord has made a sabbath, he has made it to 
be remembered, and to be kept holy. Therefore let us hear 
the will of God with an obedient ear. 

The scheme of the following discourses is, to search the 
Bible from the beginning to the end, to see what the sabbath 
is — what it is to sanctify it, and what it is to profane and 
pollute it — and to become acquainted with the scripture 
history of the sanctification, and profanation of the sabbath, 
that we may learn how different are the feelings of the divine 
Lawgiver towards such as'sanctify, and such as profane his 
holy day: that we may also discover what an entirely con- 
trary influence these different ways of spending the sabbath 
have on the cause of God and the prosperity of nations. 
None of those passages, which are considered as capable of 
materially aiding us in these inquiries, will be designedly 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 7 

passed over. After a new text on the subject is introduced, 
it is proposed to make such remarks and practical observa- 
tions, as are suggested by it ; and then proceed to the next 
in order. 

Without any further introductory remarks, I enter on 
my proposed plan, attended, as I hope, by your fervent 
prayers, that both the preacher and his hearers may be led 
into the truth ; and that through the truth we may be 
sanctified. 

The first information which we have about the weekly 
sabbath is Gen. ii. 2, 3. 

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he 
had made : and he rested on the seventh day from all his 
work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh 
day and sanctified it ; because that in it he had rested 
from all his work which God created and made. 

On this passage it may be observed, 1. That the weekly 
sabbath is not a human institution. It was God, the Crea- 
tor of the world, who instituted it. 2. He gave a sanction 
to the institution by his own example. Six days did the 
Creator work ; but on the seventh day he rested from all 
his work. 3. The weekly sabbath is a very early institu- 
tion. It was appointed, and observed the very first week 
of time. It is no part of the law of ceremonies, which law 
was occasioned by the entrance of sin ; for the sabbath was 
established before sin had entered, and would have been 
obligatory on Adam and his offspring if sin had not been 
known among them. Therefore the abolition of the law of 
ceremonies does not affect the weekly sabbath, though it 
does away those sabbatical institutions, which originated 
with the ceremonial law. These sabbaths, which were 
purely Jewish, in their original, must have been the sabbaths 



8 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

referred to by the apostle in his epistle to the Galatians, 
chap. iv. 10, 11 : " Ye observe days, and months, and times, 
and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon 
you labor in vain." This distinction between days, made 
by the ceremonial law, must have been what he had in view, 
Rom. xiv. 5, 6. " One man esteemeth one day above 
another : another esteemeth every day alike."* 

On the passage before us we proceed to observe, 4. That 
God did two things to the sabbath, to distinguish it from the 
other days of the week ; 1st. He sanctified it ; and 2dly. He 
blessed it. The Lord has made the sabbath a holy day; 
and when we keep it holy to the Lord, he makes it a day of 
blessings i. e. a day in which he will, in a peculiar sense, 
meet with us and bless us, and cause the sanctified day to 
be very useful to our best, our immortal interests. 

Objection. But how can time be sanctified 7 how can a 
day be holy? Ans. 1st. It is the language which God him- 
self uses, and therefore cannot be foolish. 2ndly. No one 
supposes that time itself is capable of holy affections : nor 
does the holiness of the sabbath consist in our having holy 
affections on that day. Such affections we are required to 
have every day in the week ; and such affections Adam and 
Eve had continually until they fell ; but even then they 
were required to sanctify the seventh day, in distinction 
from the other days. Holy affections are implied in an 
acceptable sanctification of the sabbath ; but this is not all. 
We answer, 3dly. The holiness of time consists in its being 
separated from secular business and worldly concerns to the 
immediate service of God. The temple was called a holy 
place, because, in distinction from other houses, it was the 
LoroVs house ; it was the house of prayer. It was profaned 
by being made a house of merchandise, as well as by being 

* Something more may be seen on these passages in a note connected with 
the Fourth Discourse. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 9 

made a den of thieves. In the same sense in which the 
temple was a holy place, the sabbath is a holy day, — a day 
separated from the business and avocations of this life, to the 
service of God in devotional exercises and religious duties. 

Exod. xvi. 22—30. 

And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered 
twice as much bread, tvjo omers for one man : and all the 
rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he 
said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, 
To-morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord ; 
bake that which ye ivill bake to-day, and seethe that ye will 
seethe ; and that ivhich remaineth over lay up for you to be 
kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morn- 
ing, as Moses bade, and it did not stink, neither was there 
any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that to-day ; for 
to-day is a sabbath unto the Lord : to-day ye shall not find 
it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it ; but on the 
seventh day which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. 
And it came to pass that there went out some of the people 
on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And 
the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my 
commandments and my laws ? See, for that the Lord 
hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the 
sixth day the bread of two days : abide ye every man in 
his place ; let no man go out of his place on the seventh 
day. So the people rested on the seventh day. 

On this passage we observe, 1. That the apostasy has not 
done away the obligation to sanctify the weekly sabbath. 
The same hallowed day, of which we read before the fall of 
man, we here find again ; and it still remains a holy day. 
2. From this passage we learn, that it is our duty to remember 
during the week, that the sabbath is coming, and be so pre- 
pared for it, as not to be obliged to earn, or look up, or be 



10 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

engaged in any great labor in preparing our food on this 
day. The portion of the manna, which was to be the food 
of the sabbath, they were directed to gather, and bake, or 
seethe, on the day which preceded it. It is lawful to eat on 
the sabbath as we do on other days ; but not to gather. 
3. The Lord's great concern for his holy day was strikingly 
manifested by his giving a double portion of the manna on 
the preceding day, and withholding it on that day ; and by 
his preserving that which was laid up the day before from 
breeding worms and becoming loathsome, as it did when it 
was at other times kept over night. 4. We are taught by 
this portion of scripture, that we need not be afraid of being 
impoverished by a holy resting one day every week. See, 
for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he 
giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Let it 
never be forgotten, that it is the LORD who has given us 
the sabbath. And let it be remembered, that it is the same 
Lord that gives us our bread, and who supplies all our needs. 
We may therefore rest assured, that six days in the week 
are sufficient to procure the bread of seven. To disbelieve 
this, is to deny the providence of the Lord of the sabbath, 
and is deeply tinctured with atheism. 5. We see that men 
are prone to seek gain on the sabbath-day by doing the work 
of the week, notwithstanding they may have been strictly 
cautioned against it. Some of the people went out on the 
seventh day to gather. The Lord was greatly displeased 
with the disobedient and covetous spirit which they mani- 
fested. " And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse 
ye to keep my commandments and my laws ?" 

Let us now turn our attention to the 4th commandment. 
It is contained in Exod. xx. 8 — 11. 

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days 
shalt thou labor, and do all thy work : but the seventh day 
is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not 



'discourses on the sabbath. 11 

do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man 
servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stran- 
ger that is within thy gates : For in six days the Lord 
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, 
and rested the seventh day : wherefore the Lord blessed 
the sabbath-day, and hallowed it. 

Observe, 1. The weekly sabbath is placed among the ten 
commandments, which are a summary of the moral law. 
In this respect it is honored above the sabbatical years ; or 
the three annual feasts, the new moons, and such like institu- 
tions. These commandments were written with the finger 
of God on tables of stone, to denote their preciousness, im- 
portance, and durableness. It shewed that these command- 
ments were to last to the end, without waxing old and van- 
ishing away. The command, to sanctify one day in the 
week, has the same honorable place, as the command, to 
worship Jehovah alone ; or as the command, to honor our 
parents, and the command, to do no murder. 

Objection. It cannot in itself be wrong to work on one 
day, more than to work on another ; therefore the require- 
ment to keep holy one particular day in the week, cannot 
be of a moral nature. 

Let the objector remember, that the other nine commands 
of the decalogue are evidently of a moral nature, and this, 
which enjoins the observance of a weekly sabbath, was 
placed among them by the Divine Lawgiver himself: neither 
ought we to suppose, that it was an oversight in him to 
place it where he did. He who lays his hand on the sab- 
bath, to drive it out from among the perpetually binding 
laws of God, let him beware what he does. Let him review 
the matter — let him not think that in this he is doing God 
service ! 

A word more on the moral nature of the sabbath. The 
first commandment teaches, that we are under moral and 



12 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

indispensable obligation to love God supremely. The second 
commandment requires, that we worship him, and him alone. 
If it is our duty to love and worship our Creator, it is a 
matter of moral obligation to take some time from other 
concerns for this worship. It is essential to a godly life, 
that some portion of time every day should be redeemed 
from secular duties for the duties of devotion : and the all- 
wise God has seen that it was absolutely necessary for the 
best good of the human race, and especially for the promo- 
tion of godliness, that one day in seven should be a day of 
worship. The obligation to keep holy the sabbath, is as 
great as the obligation to seek the preservation and advance- 
ment of the cause of true religion in the world. 

2. You notice, that the commandment, requiring the ob- 
servance of the sabbath, is introduced with a caution not to 
forget it — " Remember the sabbath day." It should be re- 
membered all the week, that after so many days the sabbath 
will return again ; and we should feel ourselves bound to 
shape our business through the week, so as to be in the best 
manner prepared for its return. And the caution at the be- 
ginning of the commandment, requires us to know when 
the holy day has returned, and to conduct ourselves ac- 
cordingly. 

3. In looking over the commandment we notice, that all 
our work must be done in the six days before the sabbath. 
By our work, is not meant works of darkness (which are 
forbidden on all days,) but secular work, pertaining to things 
of this life. 

4. Notice, On the sabbath we may not do any work, that 
is, any kind of this secular business. It would have made 
the commandment too long, if all kinds of worldly employ- 
ments had been particularized: but they are all included — 
they are all forbidden to be done on the consecrated day. 
"Thou shalt not do any work." 

5. It cannot but be noticed, that the commandment binds 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 13 

us to use all our influence and authority, to preserve the 
sabbath from being profaned by others. If we have sons 
and daughters, men-servants and maid-servants, horses, or 
cattle, we are required to see to it, that the sabbath is not 
profaned by any of them. This forbids us even to let a 
horse or carriage on the Lord's day : or to that man, who, 
in opposition to the commandment, we know designs on 
that day to pursue his journey. Let our rulers, the fathers 
of the country, inquire whether they are not bound by the 
commandment to exert themselves, not only to keep holy 
the sabbath themselves, but also to see to it, that all the in- 
habitants of the land, and the strangers, who sojourn among 
us, are not suffered so greatly to pollute it with impunity.* 

6. This commandment seems to imply, that keeping holy 
the seventh day was an acknowledgment of God, as the 
Creator of the world: and, of consequence, that the refusing 
to keep it holy, would be a denial of the God who is above. 
Let this thought weigh on all our minds. When we con- 
duct as though there was no weekly sabbath, we conduct 
as though there was no God — no Creator of the world. 

Exod. xxiii. 12. 

Six days shalt thou do thy work, and on the seventh day 
thou shalt rest : that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and 
the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger may he re- 
freshed. 

From this passage it appears, that one design of the sab- 
bath is to give all an opportunity to rest from hard and 

* Magistrates are to be a terror to evil-doers. They ought to be a terror not 
only to murderers, thieves and forgers ; but also to adulterers, drunkards and 
profane swearers. So ought they to be a terror to sabbath-breakers. Profaning 
the sabbath is not only an impiety, but also an immorality. It manifestly has 
a demoralizing effect on society, like profane oaths, intemperate drinking and 
gambling. ^.^^ 

2 



14 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

fatiguing labor. This reason is also assigned where the 
command is repeated in Deuteronomy. The benevolent 
Creator pleads the cause of the servant, and even of the 
dumb beast. He commands that we let them rest from their 
labor. In this connexion let me suggest this query : Is it 
consistent with the Creator's design in appointing the day 
of rest, to keep servants all day employed in cookery, and 
in waiting on visiting companies and parties of pleasure 1 
Not to ask in this place, whether such parties of pleasure are 
consistent with keeping the day holy to the Lord? 

Let me further ask, whether this design of the command, 
does not clearly forbid the teamster to proceed on his journey 
on the holy day. If there is ever a time when the ox and 
the ass (or the horse) need this rest which our common 
Creator has provided for them, it is when they are from day 
to day, through the whole week, employed on the road in 
drawing us, or our cumbersome loads. It ought not to be 
forgotten, that these creatures have another Owner beside 
us. We have no right to use them without His leave; and 
He has not given us leave to use them in this manner on 
the sacred day of rest. 

But it will by some be objected : " Then you have no 
right to use them to go to the place of worship." To this 
it may be replied : That we have a right to use them, if 
they are needed, wherever we have a right to go ourselves. 
If we have a right, in an extreme case, to go for a physician 
twenty, or even forty miles on the sabbath, we have a right 
to make use of a horse to carry us this distance. So, if we 
have a right to go to the house of God on the sabbath, 
(which none will dispute) we have a right to ride there, if 
the distance be such as to make this necessary or more 
convenient. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 15 

Exod. xxxi. 14 — 17. 
Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore : for it is holy unto 
you : every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death : 
for tohosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be 
cut off from among his people. Six days may work be 
done ; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the 
Lord : whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he 
shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of 
Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath 
throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: 
for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on 
the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. 

On this passage I would remark, 1. That in the church 
of Israel, death was the punishment to be inflicted on the 
sabbath-breaker. Every crime was not to be punished with 
death ; but defiling the holy day, was among the crimes to 
be thus punished by divine command. Here we learn how 
God looks on the breach of the fourth commandment. It 
no doubt appears as ill-deserving to him now as it did then. 
The church of God then dwelt alone, and had, by the ex- 
press direction of heaven, power to exercise all the authority 3 
which is now termed civil and ecclesiastical : They were 
therefore to inflict corporal punishments, as well as church 
censures and excommunications. This gave opportunity 
for the Holy One of Israel to show his feelings, even in this 
world, towards the man who defiled his sabbath. 

2. We notice in this passage, that the attention of every 
individual is called up to the dreadful evil of profaning the 
sabbath. It is said, " Every one that defileth it shall surely 
be put to death." " Whosoever doeth any work therein 5 
that soul shall be cut off from amongst his people." Let 
every individual man and woman, and child, throughout 
the land, remember the commandment comes to him and to 



16 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

her. Not one of us has a right to wait for the nation to 
hear and obey ; God speaks to each one of us, in our indi- 
vidual capacity. 

3. In this passage, the sabbath is said to be a sign between 
the Lord and the children of Israel. A strict, conscientious, 
and spiritual observance of the weekly sabbath, is through- 
out all generations one of the distinguishing marks of a true 
Israelite. It is one of those ways, in which the pious cheer- 
fully acknowledge the Lord as their God. 

Some have thought, that because the sabbath is said to be 
a sign between God and Israel, that the obligation to keep 
it is not binding on us Gentiles. But as well may it be 
said, that because a holy life is that by which God's people 
are distinguished from others, therefore they alone are re- 
quired to be holy. 

Exod. xxxiv. 21. 

Six days shalt thou ivork, but on the seventh day thou 
shalt rest : in earing-time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 

The requirement to observe the sabbath in earing-time 
and in harvest, serves to give a clear idea how extensive 
the command is. It shows, that the obligation to regard 
the sabbath, runs through all the seasons of the year. It is 
not a duty confined to the winter when our harvests are all 
gathered in ; but is binding in the summer, and even in 
harvest, the most hurrying part of the summer. 

Let those who think it is lawful to travel on common 
journeys on the sabbath-day, seriously examine the above 
passage. Let those who attend upon their maple orchards, 
and upon their distilleries, candidly ask, whether the com- 
mand to rest in earing-time and harvest, does not reach their 
case, and oblige them to rest.* It is unreasonable for us to 

* When this treatise was written, more than thirty years ago, the author was 
grieved with a practice, which he knew existed to some extent, of working at 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. ^ 17 

require that the Lawgiver should particularize every thing. 
We may fairly reason from the greater to the less. If a 
more pressing and important work is forbidden to be done 
on the sabbath, then certainly a less important and necessary 
work must also be forbidden. 

Exod. xxxv. 2, 3. 

(Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day 
there shall be to you an holy day, a. sabbath of rest to the 
Lord : whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 
Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon 
the sabbath day. 

All that is new in this text, is the prohibition to kindle a 
fire on the sabbath-day. To understand this aright has 
been attended with some difficulty. Fire is needed in the 
winter to make us comfortable ; and the sabbath was not 
made to destroy our health and comfort. But it is a clear 
case, that all those fires which are not needed to render us 
comfortable through the sabbath, should not be kindled on 
that day. If it be ever necessary, that furnaces, brick-kilns, 
and coal-pits, should continue to burn during the sabbath, 
(on the necessity of which I shall not now pretend to 
decide) still it must be wrong to kindle such fires on this 
holy day. If it is right for mariners at sea to keep under 
sail on the Lord's day, still I cannot think that it is right 
for them to set sail and leave the port on the Lord^s day : 
nor do I think such a thing will be practised in the Millen- 
nium. If in that period ships in the midst of the sea, where 
no anchor can hold them, keep on their course, no great 
work will be undertaken on the Lord's day, which unex- 
pected events do not render necessary ; but the day, even 

the distilling business on the Lord's day. He is now constrained to say, that 
in his opinion the whole business of making intoxicating liquors for a beverage, 
is repugnant to the best interests of the human family. 

2* 



18 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

in the midst of the sea, will be distinguished from the other 
days of the week as holy to the Lord. Is it not to be ex- 
pected in that day, when the fear of God will be before the 
eyes of all, that steamboats, packets, and coasters, will not 
only forbear to weigh anchor on the day of holy rest, but 
also, when sailing up and down the rivers and along the 
coast, that they will cast anchor, if this can be done ; and 
so rest from their own work, and engage in the work pecu- 
liar to the day, even if they cannot go on shore and repair 
to a house of worship 7 

Levit. xix. 3. 
And ye shall fear every man his mother and his father, 
and keep my sabbaths : I am the Lord your God. 

We remark in this passage, that a filial respect to parents, 
and a sanctification of the Lord's sabbaths, are commanded 
at one breath. We can no more treat our Creator with re- 
spect, without keeping the holy sabbath, than we can honor 
our father and mother, without obeying their commands. 
Parents, God has told our children to honor us, and at the 
same time has told us to honor him by keeping his sabbaths ; 
now if we do not keep holy the sabbath, and teach and 
command our children to do so, ought we to expect that our 
children will honor and obey us? If children learn to treat 
their Father in heaven with respect, there is little doubt but 
that they will respect their earthly parents. 

Levit. xxiii. 3. 

Six days shall toork be done, but the seventh day is 
the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation ; ye shall do no 
work therein : it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your 
dwellings. 

This passage reflects some additional light on the com- 
mand enjoining a holy sabbath. W r e notice, 1. That it 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 19 

teaches that the sabbath is a day for public worship ; for 
this is what is meant by its being an holy convocation. 
Convocation is a meeting together • and a holy convocation 
is a meeting together for holy or religious purposes. All 
other convocations or meetings on the sabbath, are a great 
desecration of holy time. But meeting together for worship, 
and for religious instruction, is perfectly congenial with the 
spirit of the command. There are none who love a holy 
day, but that love a holy convocation on that day. And it 
is worthy of observation, that most commonly where public 
worship is not observed on the sabbath, there the day itself 
is not regarded. 

2. We notice that the sabbath is to be kept holy to the 
Lord in all our dwellings. It was not only to be observed 
by those who were around the tabernacle ; or those who 
dwelt in the holy city ; but it was to be observed through 
all their camps, in all their tents — through all their cities, 
villages, and towns ; and in all their houses. During those 
twenty-four hours which the Lord challenges as his day, 
the time is .holy ; as much when we are in our own houses, 
as when we are in the house of the Lord. If we can attend 
public worship, it is our duty to do it ; but if this be imprac- 
ticable, still the day should be kept holy to the Lord, in our 
dwellings. And if we do attend public worship, this is not 
all the holy time which belongs to the sabbath ; the other 
parts of the day belong to the Lord, as well as this. He 
who keeps holy time only while he is in the house of wor- 
ship, makes the sabbath no more of a holy day, than he 
makes any day of the week a holy day, if he should only 
happen to attend on some public and religious exercise on 
such day. But is the Lord's day no more holy than any 
day, in which we attend on a lecture or a funeral ? The 
minutes which we spend in worship on a week day, may 
be termed as it respects us, the holy parts of that day ; but 
the rest of the day is common ; and even these portions of 



/ 

20 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

the day, devoted to worship, might have been employed in 
business, and other portions devoted to worship instead of 
them, and this would not have been a profanation of the 
time : but the sabbath is all of it holy time, whether we are 
immediately engaged in worship, or not ; and we have no 
right to substitute other time in its stead. 

Levit. xxvi. 2. 

Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctu- 
ary: I am the Lord. 

We find this command, in the same words, in another 
place in this book. Here we find the command to keep the 
sabbath, and to reverence the Lord's sanctuary, are very 
properly joined together. They who are willing the Lord 
should have a day for his worship, are also willing that he 
should have a place for it. And it is uniformly the case, 
that they who love the sabbath, love the sanctuary. If in 
the house of the Lord, humble and spiritual prayers are 
offered to him, with suitable confessions and thanksgivings ; 
if his praises are sung, his word read and explained in a 
right manner, all who delight in the sabbath, will be pleased 
to be present. They will not forsake the assembling of 
themselves together, as the manner of some is. They will 
say, " How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord God of 
hosts !" They who come to the sanctuary to exhibit their 
costly apparel, to see their friends, and contrive parties for 
the ensuing week ; or who come from custom ; these do not 
reverence the sanctuary, nor keep holy the day of the Lord. 
That man, who views the sabbath as a day holy to the 
Lord, will feel, when he enters the place of worship, the 
impression of the patriarch, "How dreadful is this place! 
this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate 
of heaven." 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 21 

Yerses 34, 35. 
Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it 
lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land ; even then 
shall the land rest and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it 
lieth desolate it shall rest : because it did not rest in your 
sabbaths when ye dwelt upon it. 

The same sentiment is repeated a few verses below. 
There were other days, and even years, of rest enjoined on 
the church of Israel, besides the weekly sabbath : but this 
alone was placed in the decalogue, and more is said about 
this than about the others ; this is therefore undoubtedly 
included in the passage before us. From this passage we 
see that the people of God were forewarned, that a neglect 
of the sabbath would be one of those things which would 
provoke the Lord to give them up into the hands of their 
enemies. And let those nations who know that the Lord 
has reserved the sabbath as a day holy to himself, be assured 
that if they disregard this reasonable institution of the Su- 
preme Governor, their sin will find them out. 

Numb. xv. 32 — 36. 
And while the children of Israel loere in the wilderness, 
they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath- 
day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought 
him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 
And they put him in loard, because it was not declared 
what shoidd be done to him. And the Lord said unto 
Moses, The man shall be surely put to death ; all the 
congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 
And all the congregation brought him loithout the camp, 
and stoned him ivith stones, and he died ; as the Lord 
commanded Moses. 

On this passage it may be remarked, 1. That this breach 
of the sabbath was .a presumptuous sin. It seems to be 



22 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

introduced as an example of the sin of presumption, which 
had been just mentioned. The Lord had said to this man, 
as well as to others, " Thou shalt not do any work on the 
seventh day ;" and the man knew that he had said it. But 
just as if the Lord of Hosts were not worth regarding, he 
said, I will do some work on the sabbath -day. Let none of 
us plead the cause of this transgressor, since the Lord him- 
self has condemned him. It makes but little difference 
what kind of work we do on the sabbath, whether we 
gather sticks or logs, if we do it in contempt of the author- 
ity of the Most High. 

2. On this passage we are led to remark, that God has 
not made this law respecting the sabbath as a scare-crow ; 
what he has said, he will stand to. When he sits as a 
Judge, he will be found the same, as when he acted in the 
capacity of a Lawgiver. He had said, " Six days may work 
be done, but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to 
the Lord : whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath-day, 
he shall surely be put to death." Now a case had occurred 
of the violation of the command, and the matter was refer- 
red to the Lord, to know what should be done with him 
who had violated it. " And the Lord said unto Moses, The 
man shall surely be put to death." 

God has not made a law to be trifled with. He did not 
make it without good reason ; and there is the same reason 
for maintaining it, which there was for making it. If any 
should think that the Divine Lawgiver was too severe in 
punishing the breach of the sabbath with death, let them 
remember, that a sorer punishment will fall on sabbath- 
breakers in the coming world ! 

3. This passage may admit of another remark, — it is this : 
That the whole community should set their faces against 
those who profane the sabbath: especially may it be ex- 
pected, that " all the congregation " of the Lord will unite 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 23 

in disallowing, and publicly manifesting their disallowance, 
of the profanation of holy time. 

Numb, xxviii. 9, 10. 

And on the sabbath-day two lambs of the first year 
without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offer- 
ing, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof ; 
Tills is the burnt offering of every sabbath, beside the con- 
tinual burnt offering, and his drink offering. 

On this passage we note, 1. That there are some religious 
duties to be performed every day in the week. According 
to divine appointment, there was to be a morning and eve- 
ning sacrifice every day in the year ; and the peculiar duties 
of the sabbath-day were not to supersede, or set aside, the 
continual burnt offering and his drink offering. One thing 
most evidently pointed out by this burnt offering, every 
morning and evening through the year, was the obligation 
lying upon us all to offer up a morning and evening sacri- 
fice of prayer and praise on the sabbath, and also on all 
other days. 

2. It is worthy of notice from the scripture before us, that 
the sabbath is to be a day of extraordinary devotions. Be- 
sides the common religious duties of every day, other 
religious duties are to be added. The sabbath indeed is 
well described by being called, a day of religion ; as the 
other six days are called days of labor. Closet prayer, 
family prayer, reading the scriptures and books of piety, 
and communicating religious instruction to our households, 
and speaking of the things of the kingdom of God ; together 
with public prayers and praises, and hearing the preached 
word ; these, and such like duties, should be the business 
of the day holy to the Lord. 



24 DISCOVRSES ON THE SABBATH. 



SECOND DISCOURSE. 

John v. 39. 
Search the Scriptures. 



In obedience to this command of the Savior, I proceed to 
the examination of other portions of scripture ; especially as 
it relates to the subject of the holy sabbath. 

Nehem. ix. 13, 14. 
And gavest them right judgments and true laws, good 
statutes and commandments: And madest known unto 
them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, 
statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant. 

Note, 1. The holy sabbath is instanced as one of those 
ri<*ht judgments, true laws, and good statutes, and com- 
mandments, which God gave to Israel. The sabbath ought 
ever to be viewed as a reasonable and good command. 
There are few commands in the book of God, which are 
more calculated to promote the good of society here, and to 
prepare for ^lory hereafter. 

Note, 2. The holy sabbath is not spoken of as a new in- 
stitution, beginning with the Sinai covenant ; or confined to 
the people of Israel ; but this day, already sanctified, was 
made known unto them. The sabbath, we have already 
seen, was instituted as soon as the work of creation was 
finished, and was appointed to be observed by Adam and 
all his children. But by departing from God, the holiness 
of the seventh day of the week was disregarded and for- 
gotten. When God revived true religion in the family of 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 25 

Abraham, he revived the knowledge of the holy, blessed 
sabbath. And in the passage before us, (which is a part of 
a solemn prayer to God,) it is spoken of as a great mercy 
shown to Israel, that they were made acquainted with the 
holy sabbath. O that we Americans might be disposed 
with united voice, to thank the Lord for making known to 
us his holy sabbath ! 

Nehem. x. 31. 

And if the people of the land bring ware or any victuals 
on the sabbath-day to sell, that we would not buy it of them 
on the sabbath^ or on the holy day.— 

On this text we remark, 1. That the commercial inter- 
course, which exists among men, is one fruitful cause of the 
profanation of the sabbath. The Jews might carry on a 
commerce with the heathen: but as the heathen did not 
observe the sabbath, they would be inclined to come to 
market on that, as well as on the other days of the week. 
This proved a snare to the Jews, as is evident from the 
scripture now before us. And no doubt it is a snare to 
many at the present day, who seem desirous to make the 
sabbath something more than a day of worldly business. 

2. From the text before us we learn, that when we cannot 
restrain others from the profanation of holy time, we should 
be sure and restrain ourselves. The Jews were now in a 
dependant state, and they were surrounded by those who 
did not regard the sabbath. If they could not prevent the 
heathen from bringing their ware and victuals to market, 
still they could agree together, that they would not buy it 
of them on that day. If others will profane the sabbath, we 
must see to it, that we do not suffer them to draw us into 
their loose and pernicious practices. If the people in the 
country will carry their produce to market on the sabbath, 
let the market towns not encourage this practice. If I can- 



26 DISCOURSES OJN THE SABBATH* 

not prevent my neighbor from proposing to make a bargain 
with me on the Lord's day, still I may keep myself from 
manifesting a willingness to bargain with him; and so keep 
from helping forward the profanation of the day. If I can- 
not prevent my neighbor from introducing some worldly 
topic of discourse, unsuitable for the sabbath, still I may 
wave it, or propose a topic more suitable to the day. If you 
cannot prevent a neighbor from calling to pay you a visit 
on the Lord's day, you can certainly keep from returning 
the visit on that day, in case you cannot summon up courage 
to tell him plainly, that you do not wish to receive or pay 
visits on the holy sabbath. It would no doubt be highly 
proper to manifest your disapprobation of this practice, both 
by words and actions. 

We further notice in this text, that those Jews, who seemed 
disposed for a thorough reformation, agreed not to buy any 
wares on the sabbath, or on the holy day. By " the holy 
day" here spoken of, in addition to the sabbath, we are to 
understand any one of those holy days which the Lord had 
commanded them to observe ; and in which lie had required 
them to refrain from servile labor. These holy days are not 
now binding on us, as the weekly sabbath is ; but the days 
which we set apart for fasting and thanksgiving resemble 
them. Our Fasts and Thanksgivings should be holy to the 
Lord. In them we should refrain from buying and selling.'". 
and that business of this life which we lawfully pursue on 
other days. 

Neiiem. xiii. 15 — 22. 

In those days saw I in Judah some tn ading wine-pi 
on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves^ and lading 
asses ; as also whir, grapes, and figs \ and all maimer of 
burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sab- 
bath-day ; and I testified agi inst them in the day wherein 
they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein^ 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. . 27 

which brought fish, and all manner of icare, and sold on 
the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 
Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto 
them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the 
sabbath-day ? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our 
God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city ? yet 
ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath: 
And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem 
began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the 
gates should be shut, and charged that they should not b< 
opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants se, 
I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in 
on the sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all 
kind of ware, lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 
Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why 
lodge ye about the wcdl? if ye do so again, I will lay 
hands on you. From that time forth came they no more 
on the sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they 
should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and 
keep the gates to sanctify the sabbath-day. Remember 
line, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me ac- 
cording to the greatness of thy mercy. 

In this portion of scripture several lessons of instruction 
relative to the sabbath are taught : 

1. That some of those to whom the sabbath is made 
known, and even some who profess to be the people of God, 
are guilty of the most evident breaches of it. It was in 
Judah that some were seen treading wine-presses on the 
sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses, and at- 
tending to other secular business. The command, which 
they had said they would obey, required that in the sabbath 
they should not do any work : but with that command be- 
fore them, they were doing all manner of work. It is likely, 
however, that they invented some excuse for it alL 



28 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

2. By the scripture before us we are taught, that, in Bible 
times, no distinction was made between bringing into market 
fish, and other commodities, on the sabbath-day. This dis- 
tinction must therefore be an invention of modern times. 
In the city of New- York, and in other cities, and sea-port 
towns, it is not allowed to bring in flesh, vegetables and 
fruits, on the sabbath-day; but in these places, even on the 
morning of the holy day, you may hear the horns blow, to 
call you to the fish market. Let me ask, what reason can 
be given for this profanation of the Lord's day? Cannot the 
citizens do one day in the week without feasting on the fish 
which are newly caught? If it should be said, that the fish- 
ermen cannot preserve them from taking hurt through the 
sabbath, let them learn then not to catch them so near to the 
time of the drawing on of this well known day of rest. Let 
them remember the sabbath-day. 

3. We learn from the passage before us, that those who 
would wish to reform the nation with respect to the obser- 
vance of the sabbath, may have occasion to contend even 
with the leading men of the nation. Nehemiah " contended 
with the nobles of Judah, and said, what evil thing is this ye 
do, and profane the sabbath-day?" It is important to labor 
with them on this point, for several reasons. First, These, 
generally, either make the laws of the nation, or administer 
justice. They are therefore to be a terror to evil doers. 
Secondly, The 7jobles, or chief men, are very apt to disre- 
gard the sabbath themselves : Even those who make laws 
to punish others, will often conduct as if they themselves 
were above the law. Their bad example in this respect, 
has a most pernicious effect on the community. In the 
third place, It is peculiarly important that the rulers and 
leading men of the nation should remember to keep holy the 
sabbath, because their contempt of the command of God 
peculiarly exposes the nation to judgments. David's pride 
in numbering the people, brought the pestilence on his 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 29 

realm. What the rulers and leading men of the nation are, 
that character the nation is considered as possessing. And 
this is one thing which gives significancy to that proverb, 
" When the wicked bear rule the people mourn." 

4. By the passage before us we are taught, that the profa- 
nation of the sabbath is one of those things which may be 
expected to bring down God's judgments. " Did not your 
fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon 
us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon 
Israel by profaning the sabbath." On infidel minds, it is 
not expected this will have any weight. But to those who 
believe the scriptures to be a true declaration of the divine 
will, must not this record appear weighty? It is here 
declared that God brings evil on the nation and city — and 
this evil is a display of his wrath. And here his wrath is 
said to be aroused by seeing his holy day trodden under 
foot. It is God who sends the evil ; but it is we who pro- 
cure it : " Yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning 
the sabbath." Let the profaners of the sabbath, throughout 
this American Republic, know, that they are bringing more 
wrath on this nation by their contemptuous disregard of 
holy time ! The nation are already groaning under the rod 
of Heaven ; and will ye bring more wrath upon this people 
by profaning the sabbath 1 

5. From the passage before us we are taught how it be- 
hoves us to be in readiness to begin the sanctification of the 
sabbath, at its very commencement. There is a precise 
time when the sabbath begins and when it ends. And I 
can see no reason why the first and last parts of the holy 
day are not as sacred as the middle of it. It is pretty 
evident that the sabbath did commence, (if it does not now,) 
at the setting' of the sun. Indeed, according to the Bible 
reckoning, all the days of the week began and ended at this 
time. If this original method of reckoning days is still to 
be observed in application to holy time, (and I cannot dis- 

3* 



30 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

cover that the Bible has pointed out any other method,) then 
the sabbath is still to be sanctified from evening to evening, 
without being considered as a part of two days.* 

* It was not among one of the original objects of the author, in this work, 
to contend with those who differ from him in the time of beginning the sab- 
hath. Neither is it now his design to contend with them; but he has 
endeavored to follow where the scripture has led him : and the above passage 
out of Nehemiah, seemed naturally to lead him to say something upon the 
importance of being exact in beginning to sanctify the day as soon as it com- 
menced. There are many who agree with the author of these discourses in a 
belief, that the sabbath begins and ends at the setting of the sun. Certainly it 
is important that we, who believe this, should be taught to act consistently with 
our belief, by giving to the Lord what we consider as the beginning of the day 
which he challenges as his own. To stir us up to the duty of sanctifying the 
evening which precedes the day, we must see on what we ground our belief 
that this is a part of holy time. 

In the first chapter in the Bible we read, "And the evening and the morning 
were the first day." The first day began when, time began ; and time began 
as soon as any thing was created But the creation did not begin with light, 
but with darkness. The evening, or the dark part of the twenty-four hours, 
preceded, and the morning, or the light part, followed. After the sun was 
created to rule the day, its leaving the earth by setting beyond the western 
horizon, served to divide between the days. This appears by Judg. xiv. 18. 
Samson put forth a riddle which must be declared within the seven days of the 
feast. " And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day, before tlie sun 
went doicfi, What is sweeter than honey 1 and what is stronger than a lion % n 
This was as much as to say, when the sun went down the day would end, and 
it would be too late to expound the riddle. The setting, or the rising of the 
sun, is the most natural division of days ; it is a dividing line known to all, 
poor as well as rich — to those who are without clocks and watches, as well as 
to those who have them. It is therefore natural to suppose, reasoning a priori, 
that the Creator would, especially on account of the holy day, fix upon one or 
the other of these, either the rising or the setting of the sun, as the time of 
beginning days. It is pretty evident that he did not fix on the rising of the 
sun, but on its going down. It appears this was the line which separated 
between the sabbath and the day which followed it, in the time of Christ j as 
we infer from Mark i. 32, 33 ; " And at even, when the sun did set, they 
brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with 
devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door." From the con- 
nexion it will be seen, that this was a sabbath-day which is here spoken of. 
It will also be remembered, that such crowds did not gather around the Savior 
to obtain healing on the sabbath-day. The Jews even thought it unlawful for 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. '61 

This pious governor of Judah, whose heart was greatly- 
set upon a thorough reformation, noticed that if the market 
was allowed to be kept up, and the gates of the city kept 
open until sun-down, the beginning of the holy day would 
be exposed to profanation, he therefore commanded the 
gates of Jerusalem (which it will be remembered was sur- 
rounded by mountains) to be shut by that time the gates 
began to be darkened by the shadow of the mountains, 
before the sabbath. Twilight is not what is meant; for 
then it would have been said, When it began to be dark : 
but now it is, when the gates of Jerusalem began to be 
dark. The sun still shone on the hill of Zion, which was 
in the midst of the city. By this then we are taught, that 
it is sinful to order business so as just to get out of the mar- 
ket, the merchant's store, the justice's court, the military 
review, the mill, the raising-uee, or the social visit, at the 

him to heal those diseased persons, which naturally fell in his way. But at the 
setting of the sun, they all flocked about him, as though the restraint which 
had been imposed was now taken off. So late as this then it appears, that the 
setting of the sun was viewed as the end of the sabbath : and the Lord of the 
sabbath himself found no fault with them on this account, as though they had 
been guilty of an innovation. But it will be said, Does not that passage, John 
xx. 19, give a different view of the time of the ending of the day 1 £< Then 
the same day at evening, being the first day of the week." The passage, at 
first reading, seems to give the idea that this evening belonged to the first day 
of the week ; but the clause, " being the first day of the week," may refer to 
H the same day," and not to the evening. When days were reckoned from 
sun-down to sun-down, still the evening was wont to be named in connexion 
with the day which preceded it. By comparing Levit. xxiii. verse 27, with 
verse 32, it appears that a part of that time which is first called the tenth day, 
is afterwards called the ninth day at even- The ninth day at even meant the 
beginning of the tenth day. 

I do not pretend with absolute certainty to know, that Christ did not change, 
not only the day, but the time of beginning it. But if he did, I have not yet 
seen sufficient evidence to convince me of it. If he did, I do not know what 
point of time he fixed on for its commencement. But in this matter let us not 
censoriously judge one another. Let all who regard the sabbath, however they 
may differ as to the time of beginning it, unite their influence to promote its 
sanctification. 



32 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

moment when our days of labor end ; and so be obliged to 
take the first part of the Lord's time, to return to our homes. 
" The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are 
weighed."* 

6. By the passage before us we are taught the great 
importance of zeal and perseverance in a reformer. This 
best of governors met with opposition : but it did not dis- 
courage him. He did not say, Nothing can be done. He 
did not bear the sword in vain. He was a terror to evil 
doers. Whether he made sabbath-breakers love the sabbath 
or not, he made them forbear to disturb the peace of Jerusa- 
lem. "From that time forth came they no more on the 
sabbath." 

Isa. lvi. 2—7. 
Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man 
that layeth hold on it: that kecpeth the sabbath from pol- 
luting it, and heepeth his hand from doing any evil. 
Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined him- 

* It is quite a question, if we possessed the spirit of Nehemiah — if we had 
his zeal for preserving the purity of the sabbath, whether we should fix upon 
the preceding day for such business or recreation, as is likely to intrude itself 
into holy time. Would a justice of the peace, with the spirit of this reformer, 
select from all the days of the week Saturday in the afternoon, to appoint his 
court 1 Would the military officer, with the same spirit, take this time for 
that military review which might be as well attended on any other day 1 If 
we all felt towards the sabbath like this noble governor, would that afternoon 
in the week, which shuts down upon holy time, be the most frequently taken 
to do those jobs, which collect such numbers as cannot be easily dispersed in 
season to prevent an encroachment upon its sacred hours 7 Will those females, 
who have a high reverence for the Lord's day, except in extraordinary cases, 
take the afternoon which immediately precedes it, for a visiting party 1 If in 
these parties, their conversation should be a suitable preparation for the 
approaching sabbath, still there will be the appearance of evil, which we are 
commanded to avoid, as they will not usually be able, all of them, to reach 
their homes, until after the sabbath has commenced. In this point of view, 
the remark applies with force only to those who believe the day to commence 
at the going down of the sun. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 33 

self to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly 
separated me from his people : neither let the eunuch say, 
Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto 
the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things 
that please me, and take hold of my covenant ; even unto 
them will I give in mine house and ivithin my walls a 
place and a name better than of sons and of daughters : 
I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut 
off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to 
the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, 
to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from 
polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant ; Even them 
will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful 
in my house of prayer : their burnt offerings and their 
sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar ; for mine 
house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 

1. We notice that taking hold of God's covenant, and 
keeping the sabbath, go hand in hand. If the son of the 
stranger becomes joined to the Lord, he is expected to keep 
the sabbath from polluting it. If he does the things which 
please God, this is sure to be one of them. 

2. It is worthy of notice that keeping the sabbath is an 
important part of the obedience of the Gentile as well as 
Jewish church. The passage before us speaks of a time, 
when the house of the Lord is to become a house of prayer 
for all people : when eunuchs and the sons of the stranger 
shall have a place in the church. And from this prediction 
we learn that even in this gospel day, the sabbath of the 
Lord is to be greatly reverenced. Dr. Scott, commenting 
on this passage, observes, " The repeated mention of keeping 
the sabbath, in this place, which evidently gives a decided 
preference to spiritual worship and holiness of life, above all 
external observances, and refers to the time when the cere- 



34 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

monial law would be abrogated, strongly implies the 
obligation of the Christian sabbath." 

Isa. lviii. 13, 14. 

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing 
thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a 
delight, the holy of the Lord honorable ; and shalt honor 
him, not doing thine oxen ivays, nor finding thine oxen 
jjleasure, nor speaking thine ovn words : Then shalt thoxc 
delight thyself in the Lord ; and Ixvill caxise thee to ride 
upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee ivith the 
heritage of Jacob thy father : for the mouth of the Lord 
hath spoken it. 

This passage reflects much light upon the holy sabbath. 

1. It points out three ways by which the sabbath is trod- 
den under foot, or encroached upon. 

First. By doing oxir oxvn ways. Six days are our oxvn, 
in distinction from the seventh, which the Lord calls his 
day. By "our own ways," in the place before us, we are 
to understand the same as our xvork, our busixiess. In the 
commandment it is said, Six days shalt thou labor and do 
all thy work. In the same way we are to understand " our 
own," in this whole passage ; not as necessarily implying 
that which would be wrong to be done on the working 
days; otherwise, piety would lead us to avoid them on 
other days, as well as the holy day of the Lord. 

The second way, here mentioned, of encroaching on the 
sabbath, is by doing or finding our oxvn pleasxire. Pleas- 
ure, in distinction from work, is recreation or amusement. 
Some recreations are vain and sinful on any day ; these 
must of course be forbidden on the day which is holy to 
the Lord. Others, when under due regulations, are admis- 
sible on the week days ; such as visiting our friends, or 
riding abroad to take the air, please our eyes, and recreate 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 35 

our minds with the delightful scenes of nature : but these 
also are forbidden on the sabbath. In the passage before 
us, the laying aside of our amusements and recreations, is 
enjoined with emphasis : " If thou turn away thy foot — 
from doing thy pleasure on my holy day." It is repeated 
in the same verse — "nor finding thine own pleasure? 

It is said, there are some who are very scrupulous in not 
doing their own work, who think it perfectly lawful to find 
their own pleasure, or recreation, on the Lord's holy day. 
Do not such resemble the teachers in the time of our Savior, 
who made a mighty difference between swearing by the 
temple, and by the gold of the temple? They said, Whoso- 
ever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing : but whosoever 
shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. So 
these seem to say, Whosoever shall labor on the sabbath, he 
is an infidel : but whosoever shall only play on the sabbath, 
he is a good Christian. To such it might be said, Ye fools 
and blind, for whether is the greater offence, to siveat away 
the sabbath, or to sport it away ? There is a great difference 
between the Lord's holy days, and men's holidays. The 
former are days eminently designed to prepare us for heaven ; 
the latter are days peculiarly calculated to fit us for hell. 
If the sabbath is considered as a holiday, a day of pastime, 
instead of a holy day, a day of religion, it must be, instead 
of the best, the v;orst, and most dangerous day in the week. 
It would seem, that the devil could not have invented a 
stratagem more calculated to impede the progress of the Re- 
deemer's kingdom, and to build up his own, than this trans- 
formation of the Lord's consecrated day, into a day of sport. 
I fear there are some parts of our country, where even 
taverns are haunted on the Lord's day ; where games are 
played, and horses run over the race-ground. Others, who 
would be ashamed to be seen in these crowds, and taken up 
with these sports, are riding out for their pleasure ; or po- 
litely giving, or accepting, invitations to dinners, or to tea 



36 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

parties. If such are not down-right infidels, let them ask 
themselves, Is this keeping holy the sabbath-day ? 

Thirdly. Speaking our own words, is an encroachment 
on the sabbath. After being told that we must not find our 
own pleasure, it is added, "nor speaking thine own words." 
We may talk on the sabbath ; but it must be such talk as 
belongs to a day holy to the Lord : — It must not be vain ; 
it must not even be secular. Would there not be a strange 
incongruity in the command, if it strictly forbade labor and 
recreation, but allowed us to talk freely about them both ; 
and to lay out all the business and recreations of the week 
on the holy sabbath ? 

Some in quoting this passage, have added another clause, 
namely, 'nor thinking thine own thoughts.' This is not 
expressed in the text ; but the sentiment is just, and it is 
easily gathered from what is expressed. Thoughts about 
the business or pleasures of the week, do, when they are 
indulged, pollute the sabbath in His view, from whom no 
thought can be withholden. 

2. From this important portion of scripture, we not only 
learn what we must not do ; but also what we must do, if 
we would keep the sabbath in such a manner, as to please 
the Lord of the sabbath. First. We must call the sabbath 
a delight. The sabbath, a day sequestered from business, 
recreations, and worldly discourse ; and consecrated to tha 
worship of God, and spiritual improvement, is a striking 
emblem of heaven. The Lord requires that we love this 
day, considered as a holy day ; — that we anticipate it with 
desire, and welcome it when it arrives; and that Ave drop 
our secular business, and go into, and continue in, its holy 
services with great delight. Surely, they who love God, 
and are preparing for the holy of holies, will call the sabbath 
a delight. Secondly. We are here required to call "the 
holy of the Lord honorable." The primitive Christians 
called the Lord's day, " The day of heaven," and " The 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 37 

queen of days." The sabbath is a standing memorial, that 
Jehovah is our Creator and our Redeemer. It becomes us 
not to to be ashamed of the day which our Creator has sanc- 
tified and blessed ; and which, in distinction from all other 
days, he calls his own. If it be a disgrace for us, to own 
ourselves to be his dependant offspring, and to be in need 
of his salvation, then we may well be ashamed of his day. 
We are ashamed of it, and of its Author, if we are ashamed 
to keep it, even in the strictest sense, holy to the Lord. 

We are not only to call, or esteem, the holy of the Lord 
honorable, but we are so to spend it as to " honor Him." 
The sabbath is not truly sanctified by ever so strict an ob- 
servance of it, if the glory of God is not regarded. The 
religion of the Bible requires that the ultimate end should 
always be to glorify God. 

Lastly. From the portion of inspired truth before us we 
learn, that God has promised great good to those who truly 
•sanctify his sabbaths. " I will "cause thee, (i. e. on condition 
of delighting in the sabbath and turning away from every 
encroachment upon it,) to ride upon the high places of the 
earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father ; 
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." A regard to the 
sabbath is supposed to be connected with obedience to the 
other commands of God. And it is most certain, that such 
a regard to the sabbath-, as is described by the prophet, 
will be attended with correspondent obedience to other 
divine requirements. And this is also certain, that a nation 
or people to whom God has made known his holy sabbath, 
cannot expect his blessing, if they lightly esteem and dis- 
regard it 

Isa. Ixvi. 23. 
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to 
another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh 
come to worship before me, saith the Lord, 
4 



38 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

This is a prediction of a period when the whole family 
of man, which is here denominated all flesh, shall become 
agreed in (what of all other things is the most important) 
their religion : 

1. In the God whom they shall worship : " All flesh shall 
come to worship before me, saith the Lord." To be agreed 
in the worship of Baal, or any other idol god, would consti- 
tute an unlovely bond of union : but to be agreed in the 
worship of Jehovah, the true God, must be a most desirable 
agreement. 

2. They will be agreed not only in the object, but also in 
the times of their worship : for " from one new moon to 
another, and from one sabbath to another," they will come 
to worship before the Lord. This implies the existence of 
public and stated worship at the period foretold. The sab- 
bath spoken of is doubtless that which was instituted at the 
beginning of time, and which was incorporated in the moral 
law; while the new moons (this is Old Testament lan- 
guage for New Testament worship) may intend all the other 
seasons of holy convocation, whether monthly or not, 
which should be observed by the church under the gospel 
dispensation. 

3. When mankind shall agree in the object of their wor- 
ship, and the times for its performance, they will also be 
agreed as to their constancy in the observance of those times. 
Then "from one new moon to another, and from one sab- 
bath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, 
saith the Lord." This implies something more than an oc- 
casional attendance on the worship of the sanctuary. At 
the present period it is but a minority in Christian countries, 
and perhaps in the church itself, who make a point of ap- 
pearing in the house of the Lord every sabbath-day ; but in 
the time which is here foretold it will be entirely common. 
This will be a comely sight indeed, when all flesh shall 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 39 

come to worship before the Lord from one sabbath to 
another through the whole year. 

As the religion of the Bible spreads in the world, this 
prediction comes nearer to a complete fulfilment. Where 
Christian missionaries prove successful in turning heathen 
nations from idolatry to the worship of the true God, the 
Christian sabbath is immediately recognized by their con- 
verts as a holy day. We may therefore conclude that when 
the idols shall be utterly abolished, " and the Lord shall be 
king over all the earth," His supremacy will be acknow- 
ledged by a universal sanctincation of that day of the week 
which he challenges as his own. A union of all the fami- 
lies of the earth in a holy observance of that day which is 
a weekly memorial of the great work of creation, and of the 
still greater work of redemption, will present a brighter pic- 
ture than earth has ever yet seen. Then will swords be 
beaten into plough-shares and spears into pruning hooks. 
The prospect of such a delightful period, is enough to sup- 
port and animate those friends of God and man, who live in 
these days when there is so much desecration of holy time 3 
and so much destruction of human life by the sword of war? 

Jer. xvii. 19—27. 
Thus saith the Lord unto me ; Go and stand in the 
gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of 
Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the 
gates of Jerusalem ; and say unto them,, Hear ye the tvord 
of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem., that enter in by these gates : 
Thus saith the Lord ; take heed to yourselves, and bear 
no burden on the sabbath-day, nor bring it in by the gates 
of Jerusalem ; neither carry forth a burden out of your 
houses on the sabbath-day, neither do ye any work, but 
halloio ye the sabbath-day, as 1 commanded your fathers. 
But they obeyed not 3 neither inclined their ear, but made 



40 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive in- 
struction. And it shall come to pass if ye diligently hearken 
unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through 
the gates of this city on the sabbath-day, but hallow the 
sabbath-day, to do no work therein ; then shall there enter 
into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon 
the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, 
and their pri?ices, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants 
of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever. And 
they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places 
about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from 
the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, 
bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, 
and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the 
house of the Lord. But if ye will not hearken unto me to 
hallow the sabbath-day, and not to bear a burden, even en- 
tering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath-day ; then 
will I kindle afire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour 
the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. 

Although this passage is long, I did not know how to 
omit any of it, as it is so solemn, and so suited to our own 
case. It is worthy of notice, 

1. That the prophet was to deliver his message to the 
kings of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the metrop- 
olis ; and to all the people of the land. The Lord has a 
right to reprove kings and rulers, and the polished inhabi- 
tants of cities, as well as the common people. The mes- 
sengers of the Lord of hosts need not be afraid to lift up 
their warning voice, to reprove wickedness in high places. 
If the ruler sin against the Lord, he ought to know it. He 
ought to know that he is not above Divine Authority. 
The command, "Remember the sabbath-day to keep it 
holy," is binding on him, as much as on any other. The 
exalted station, even of a monarch, gives him no liberty to 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 41 

disregard one of the commands of the King of kings, and 
Lord of lords. All classes, high and low, rich and poor, are 
concerned to know what the Lord hath spoken. 

2. It is worthy to be noted, that the prophet Jeremiah 
was called to deliver this message in a time of general cor- 
ruption ; a time of heavy judgments, and a time when the 
kingdom of Judah was tottering to fall. And even now he 
had authority from God, to promise them the removal of 
these judgments, and the restoration of great national pros- 
perity, on condition of their amending their ways and their 
doings ; and particularly as it respected the sanctification of 
the sabbath-day. On the other hand, they were advertised, 
that if they would not hearken unto the Lord, to hallow the 
sabbath-day, — he would kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusa- 
lem, which should devour her palaces, and should not be 
quenched. Let us pause, and think — Does not the same 
God, who pronounced this threatening, still live, and reign 7 
And has he become reconciled to a profanation of his holy 
sabbath ? Or has he become weak, and unable to vindicate 
his insulted authority? 

3. We notice, that the particular breach of the sabbath 
complained of, and cautioned against in this passage, is 
bearing burdens into, and out of the gates of Jerusalem ; 
and into, and out of their own doors. This is the only 
breach of the sabbath here particularized, and it is four 
times repeated in this one passage. The practice of the 
people of our land, will furnish a reason for the need there 
was of such explicit and reiterated mention of carrying 
burdens on the sabbath, in that time of great declension. It 
is probable, that going to and from market, and pursuing 
other journeys, had become a much more common, open, 
and allowed breach of the sabbath, than working in the 
field. This is most evidently the case in our country, in 
this time of declension. There are many men at the present 

day, who, when at home, do not think of yoking their oxen, 

4* 



42 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

or harnessing their horses, to go into the field to labor ; who, 
when they are on journeys, even of business or pleasure, 
think of nothing else but doing it, from sabbath to sabbath. 
It is a proof that religion is at a low ebb, when men's con- 
sciences will allow them to make such distinctions as these. 
The fourth commandment, which forbids any work on the 
sabbath, most evidently forbids carrying merchandize, or 
any thing of the kind. But if that is not explicit enough, 
how can this pointed passage in the prophet be gotten over? 
And yet men, who read this passage, as a part of the re- 
vealed will of God, will not give up this abominable prac- 
tice. How are the children of God pained, from sabbath to 
sabbath, to see the great roads thronged with wagons loaded 
with the produce which a bountiful Providence has caused 
our fields to yield to us, going to the market towns; or 
groaning under hogsheads of rum and other merchandize, 
transported thence into the country ! Is not this bearing 
burdens on the sabbath-day ? And yet, what a general prac- 
tice it has become — so general, that the number who disap- 
prove of it, feel (as it respects many parts of the country,) 
insufficient to check it, though they have the statute laws, 
as well as the laws of God, on their side. And those, who 
pass along on the road in their chaises and coaches, on the 
sabbath, are none the less guilty of profaning the day, on 
account of their being destitute of cumbersome loads. If 
the inhabitants of this land will be inattentive to so plain a 
case; if, like the Jews, they will not obey, neither incline 
their ear, but make their necks stiff, that they might not 
hear, nor receive instruction, they must feel the weight of 
Jehovah's avenging arm. " O that they were wise ; that 
they understood this !" 

Lam. i. 7. 
The adversaries saw her, and did mock at her 



sabbaths. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 43 

From this short passage we learn, that it is the adversa- 
ries of Zion, who mock at her sabbaths. Infidels make very- 
light of a holy day. They would destroy the remembrance 
of it, if it were in their power. A few years ago an experi- 
ment of it was made in France. The infidels, who man- 
aged the revolution, publicly denounced, not only the 
Christian religion, but the Divine existence. They mocked 
at the sabbath, and to throw it into oblivion, they divided the 
month into decades, or ten-day weeks, instead of seven-day 
weeks. It cannot be expected of those who hate God and 
the Bible, that they should call the holy day of the Lord 
honorable. But if this day is the Lord's, as his word de- 
clares, it must be a high contempt of Him to disregard it. 
It must be blasphemy to mock at it. " Now therefore be ye 
not mockers, lest your bands be made strong." 

Ezek. XX. 13. 
And my sabbaths they greatly polluted : then I 



said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilder- 
ness to consume them. 

From this passage we learn, 

1. That there is such a thing as an aggravated profana- 
tion of the sabbath-day. It may not only be polluted, but 
greatly polluted. The sabbath is polluted by every thing 
which the command, either expressly or impliedly, forbids ; 
whether it be in works, words, or thoughts. Those who 
set themselves most conscientiously to sanctify the day can 
always discover, at the close of it, that they have sinfully 
deviated from the rule ; and such imperfections are bewail- 
ed before God. But something more than this common 
imperfection is meant, when it is said, " My sabbaths they 
greatly polluted." A wilful disregard of the sabbath, by 
performing common labor, transacting worldly business, talk- 
ing unrestrainedly on topics not relating to holy things j or 



44 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

devoting the sacred hours to merriment and pastime: — they 
who do these, and such like things, greatly pollute the sab- 
baths of the Lord. A nation may be said greatly to pollute 
the sabbaths, when it is not here and there a solitary indi- 
vidual who practises these things; but when such things 
have become common through the great mass of the peo- 
ple ; and especially when it is but little thought of, that all 
this is wrong, or worthy of being reproved, or even men- 
tioned. How far this charge of greatly polluting the sab- 
baths of the Lord our God, can be substantiated against us, 
as persons, as families, and as a community, it becomes us 
all to examine. 

2. This passage teaches us, that when the sabbaths are 
greatly polluted, the Lord is greatly displeased. "Then I 
said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilder- 
ness to consume them." When the Most High sees that the 
day, which he has sanctified and blessed, and strictly and 
repeatly enjoined it upon us to keep holy to him, is wholly 
disregarded, and spent in a way altogether different from 
what he has commanded, his holy indignation is stirred up. 
It is a wonder that he bears so long with such heaven-daring 
rebels. If mercy did not dwell with justice, his fury would 
have been poured out ere this time, and we should have 
been utterly consumed. 

We have more concerning the sabbath in the same chap- 
ter, verses 16th and 24th. 

Because they despised my judgments, and walked not 
in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths, for their hearts 
went after tlieir idols. Because they had not executed my 
judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had pol- 
luted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers* 
idols. 

We notice, 1. That those who pollute the sabbath, are 
apt to be guilty of other breaches of the law of God. They 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 45 

are apt to despise the holy rules, which the Judge of all the 
earth has given us, by which to regulate our lives; this 
they manifest by not walking in his statutes in other re- 
spects, as well as by a contempt of holy time. 

2. We notice in the passage before us, that idolatry seems 
to be at the foundation of a profanation of the Lord's day. — 
"But polluted my sabbaths : far their heart went after their 
idols." They who are willing to obey the first, second and 
third commandments, will most certainly be subject to the 
fourth. They who are willing there should be a holy God, 
are willing there should be a holy day. But they, whose 
hearts go after their idols, are not pleased with a day sepa- 
rated from other days to the service of the true God. They 
who serve mammon, and they who are " lovers of pleas- 
ures more than lovers of God," will be disgusted with the 
sabbath ; and will be continually inclined to turn it out of 
its proper channel into one more congenial to their idol- 
worship. 

3. It is worthy of remark, that if the sanctification of the 
sabbath were a matter of small consequence, it would not 
be so repeatedly mentioned by the God of Israel, (who is a 
Being that never trifles,) as a reason why he sent destruc- 
tive evils upon his covenant people. In such connexion, it 
is three times repeated in this one chapter. The repeated 
and particular mention which is made of their polluting the 
sabbaths, while many other sins were not thus particular- 
ized, shows that this was not a sin of small magnitude in 
the sight of God ; and also, that it was a sin of which they 
had been in no small degree guilty. It was a great sin, and 
greatly multiplied. It is a sin, which no doubt greatly en- 
dangers the peace and prosperity of that people where it is 
multiplied ; — and where, though the sin is so open and com- 
mon that it testifieth to their face ; yet, when they are called 
upon to return unto the Lord 5 they say, " Wherein shall we 
return ?" 



46 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

Ezek. xxii. 8. 
Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast pro- 
faned my sabbaths. 

1. We remark, that profaning the sabbath is very natu- 
rally connected with despising all the holy things of the Lord. 
The sacrifices, the sanctuary, the priesthood, and all those 
things set apart to the immediate service of God, were his 
holy things. Religious worship, in all its various branches, 
is a holy thing. Now, it is perfectly natural, that they who 
despise holy things, should despise a holy day. And as 
soon as you have learned that it is the character of a man, 
to tread under foot the holy sabbath, you expect nothing 
else but to see him tread under foot every thing which is 
sacred. 

2. By comparing this passage with its context we are led 
to remark, that a profanation of the sabbath is placed in the 
midst of a black catalogue of crimes ; and must therefore 
appear in God's account a heinous sin. Jeremiah prophe- 
sied just before the destruction of the holy city by the Baby- 
lonians. In his message to the people, he pointed out to 
them the sins which would ruin them, if they did not repent 
and reform : and among other things, we have already seen 
that he warned them, that if they did not hearken unto the 
Lord, to hallow the sabbath-day, he would kindle a fire in the 
gates of Jerusalem, which should devour her palaces, and 
should not be quenched. It is well known, that the people 
did not hearken to the voice of the Lord by his prophet ; — 
and that the fire which was threatened was actually kin- 
dled, and was not quenched until the city and the temple 
were laid in ashes. In view of the certainty of this awful 
destruction, the Lord, by the prophet Ezekiel, vindicated 
his conduct in bringing this evil upon the city which was 
called by his name. "Yea," said the Lord to his prophet, 
" thou shalt show her all her abominations." Then follows 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 47 

a catalogue of abominations. In the midst of such abomi- 
nations, as shedding blood, making idols, setting light by 
father and mother, dealing by oppression with the stranger, 
vexing the fatherless and widow, carrying tales to shed 
blood, and committing lewdness ; we find this — " Thou 
hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sab- 
baths" If a profanation of the sabbath is with propriety 
put into such a catalogue of abominations, then surely, sab- 
bath-breakers need be ashamed of their company. And let 
them remember, if the fire which is kindled in our land, 
should not be quenched until the distress of the nation shall 
become extreme, that the?/, as well as murderers, and extor- 
tioners, and the disobedient to parents, and the tale bearers, 
and the adulterers^ and drunkards, have kindled this fire, 
and must be accountable for the consequences. Further on 
in the chapter it is said, " They have made her many wid- 
ows in the midst thereof." This was the effect of war, (as 
it always is :) but wicked men of their own nation were said 
to make these many widows, because their sins had pro- 
voked the Lord of hosts to send a desolating war upon them. 
The 26th verse of the same chapter is worthy of one or 
two remarks. 

Her priests have violated my lata, and have profaned 
mine holy things : they have put no difference between the 
holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference be- 
tioeen the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes 
from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 

1. It may be remarked, that this text exhibits an additional 
trait in the character of that degenerate age, when the city 
and temple were, by the judgment of God, devoted to the 
flames ; it is this ; that the priests, the ministers of religion, 
whose lips should keep knowledge, and at whose mouth 
they should seek the law, as being the messengers of the 
Lord of hosts ; even the vriests hid their eyes from the sab- 



48 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

baths of the Lord : they did not regard them ; they did not 
reverence them. They conducted as though they did not 
see the sabbaths when they arrived. They hid their eyes 
from them. Surely religion must have been at a low ebb, 
when its very ministers did not themselves regard that day 
which God had appropriated to religious worship and in- 
struction. When those who sustain the office of messen- 
gers of the Lord of hosts; who are appointed to plead his 
cause with their fellow men, and to show them that it is 
not a vain thing to serve God ; when these profane the sab- 
bath by journeying, by finding their own pleasure, by speak- 
ing their own words, and especially, when they appear light 
and vain on this holy day ; then the Lord of the sabbath is 
greatly profaned among the people where they minister. 
" Brethren, pray for us," who minister in holy things, that 
we may not be suffered to be profaners of the holy sabbath. 
2. From this passage we may learn what the character of 
those ministers will be, considered as preachers, who hide 
their eyes from the Lord's sabbaths ; or are very lax in then- 
observance of them: "They will put no difference between 
the holy and profane; neither will they show difference 
between the unclean and the clean." This may character- 
ize both their preaching and their discipline. In their 
preaching there is nothing clear and distinguishing. They 
do not show any real difference between a sinner and a 
saint. Their hearers are rocked to sleep by their smooth 
discourses ; and Christless christians (if the phrase may be 
indulged) are not reminded of the sandy foundation on 
which they are built. Discipline is laid asleep. This 
gospel fan is not used to purge the floor of Christ. All this 
is implied in their putting no difference between the holy and 
profane ; between the unclean and the clean. And this is 
ascribed to those priests, or teachers in the church, who 
have hid their eyes from the holy sabbaths. If teachers do 
not distinguish between holy and common time, a thing 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 49 

so plainly done by the word of God, it is not surprising that 
in other things they put no difference between the holy and 
profane. In the 44th chapter of this prophecy, teachers in 
the gospel church, and especially in its 'millennial state, are 
described as teaching the Lord's people the difference be- 
tween the holy and profane, and causing them to discern 
between the unclean and the clean. It is also added, "And 
they shall hallow my sabbaths." 

There is but one more passage in the Old Testament, on 
which I shall at present remark : It is 

Amos viii. 5, 8. 
Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may 
sell corn ? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, 
making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsi- 
fying the balances by deceit. Shall not the land trem- 
ble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein ? 

1. It is worthy of notice, that in the days of the prophet 
Amos it was a given point, that the command, enjoining 
the sanctification of the sabbath, did peremptorily prohibit 
the selling of wheat, or other grain, or carrying on any 
traffic on the sabbath ; else why did they wish the sabbath 
to be gone, that they might set forth wheat ? Are there not 
some at the present day, who do not wait for the sabbath to 
be gone, before they enter on their traffic? 

2. In the passage before us we notice, that a greediness 
for gain will make the sabbath seem tedious to those who 
are thereby prevented from attending to their worldly busi- 
ness. The day seems long to such : — they say, When will 
it be gone ? They are out of their element. Their treasure 
is laid up on the earth, and their heart is there also. And 
no day is pleasant to them, in which they cannot be in- 
creasing their earthly treasure. What a dreadful symptom 
must this be of their unpreparedness for the kingdom of 
heaven ! They to whom one holy day in the week is tire- 

5 



50 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

some, must be very far from being prepared for an eternal 
sabbath. 

3. Another thing is worthy of remark in this passage, 
namely, That they, who, from an eager desire after the 
world, can hardly wait for the sabbath to be gone, before 
they engage in buying and selling, are in danger of seeking 
gain by fraudulent means. In the same sentence, in which 
they are complained of for wishing the sabbath to be gone 
that they might sell wheat, they are also charged with falsi- 
fying the balances by deceit ; making the ephah (the meas- 
ure by which they sold) small, and the shekel (the weight 
of the money received in payment) great. They also sold 
the refuse of the wheat. It is not strange, if men who al- 
lowedly rob God, should be guilty of defrauding their fel- 
low men. At least, it is certain, that it is not from upright- 
ness of heart they are prevented from doing it. Men may 
for a pretence make long prayers, and have a shew of much 
regard to the sabbath, and yet be dishonest men ; but they, 
who from principle keep the sabbath holy to the Lord, 
may be depended upon as men possessing an honest dispo- 
sition towards their fellow men. True piety is never con- 
nected with an immoral life. The first and great command 
enjoins supreme love to God ; the second is like it, namely, 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. The man, who 
has no regard to the first of these commands, has no true 
regard to the second. 

4. It is to our point to remark, that their wicked works, 
among which a dislike to the sabbath is mentioned, were 
about to bring dreadful judgments on the nation. "Shall 
not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that 
dwelleth therein ?" Our land is trembling, and very many 
wear the badges of mourning. " For all this his anger is 
not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still !" 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 51 



THIRD DISCOURSE. 

John v. 39. 
Search the Scriptures. 



Let us now search the New Testament scriptures, that we 
may see what they testify of the weekly sabbath. Some 
have thought, the New Testament has done away the sab- 
bath ; so that now one day is no more holy than another. 
Let us candidly hear its testimony, and then judge. 

The first three evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, do 
in many instances record the same things. I shall examine 
their record concerning the sabbath, as nearly as I can, ac- 
cording to the order of time, instead of being governed by 
the order in which the records are placed in the Bible. In 
pursuance of this method, the first passage which presents 
itself is, 

Luke iv. 16. 

And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought 
up : and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue 
on the sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. 

On this passage we are led to remark, 

1. There was a sabbath-day in the time of Christ. 

2. That it was common at that time to have meetings on 
the sabbath, for religious purposes; especially for getting 
instruction out of the scriptures. 

3. We also learn from this portion of scripture, that 
Christ made a stated practice of attending these religious 
meetings on the sabbath-day. We are not only informed, 



52 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

that he went into the synagogue (or meeting house) on a 
certain sabbath-day; but that it was his custom so to do. 
[See also Luke xiii. 10. Mark i. 21, and vi. 2.] From this 
scripture, and from the other parts of the history of our Lord, 
we have reason to conclude, that from his early childhood 
it was his custom to attend upon the worship and instruc- 
tion of the synagogue every sabbath-day. So far, we have 
evidence in favor of a strict and constant sanctification of 
the holy sabbath by our blessed Lord. A constant attend- 
ance on public worship, is one of the ways that the people 
of God manifest their regard to the sabbath. If we would 
make Jesus Christ our pattern, (and we cannot have a better,) 
we must attend public worship, not once a month ; or now 
and then ; but it must be our custom to attend from sabbath 
to sabbath. Let me add, though it must be our custom to 
attend ; yet we must not attend from custom, but from re- 
gard to God. 

The next passage in order, which relates to the subject 
before us, is concerning the disciples of Christ plucking the 
ears of corn on the sabbath-day. This is recorded, 

Matt. xii. 1 — 8. 
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath-day through the 
com ; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to 
pluck the ears of corn, and to eat But when the Phari- 
sees saw it, they said unto him, behold, thy disciples do 
that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath-day. But 
he said unto them, have ye not read what David did, when 
he was an hungered, and they that were with him; how 
he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shew- 
bread, which ivas not lawful for him to eat neither for 
them which were with him, but only for the priests 7 Or 
have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath-days 
the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are 
blameless 7 But I say unto you, that in this place is one 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 53 

greater than the temple. Bat if ye had known what this 
meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not 
have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is 
Lord even of the sabbath-day. 

Let it be noted, 1. That the complaint brought against 
the disciples was not for theft ; because it was written, 
Deut. xxiii. 25, "When thou comest into the standing- 
corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with 
thine hand: but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy 
neighbor's standing-corn." The complaint was for breach 
of the sabbath, for doing " that which was not lawful to do 
upon the sabbath-day" 

2. Let it be noted, that Jesus, in clearing his disciples 
from the charge of doing that which was not lawful to be 
done on the sabbath-day, never pretended that the command, 
enjoining the sanctification of the sabbath, was repealed or 
altered. If Jesus had considered this commandment as no 
longer binding, it would have been perfectly in point to have 
said so. But he answered the accusers, first, by referring 
them to the case of David, who in a time of extreme urgency 
satisfied his hunger with the shew-bread, which God had 
separated to the use of the priests alone. Christ justified 
the conduct of David in this extreme case, without design- 
ing to find the least fault with the law, which prohibited 
any but the priests from eating the shew-bread. Secondly. 
Christ answered these accusers by saying, "have ye not 
read in the law, how that on the sabbath-days the priests in 
the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless ?" i. e. the 
priests and Levites were obliged to perform considerable 
labor in killing the sacrifices which were to be offered on 
the sabbath-days : and yet, as these sacrifices were divinely 
appointed, the labor must be performed. It is called prof a- 
ning the sabbath, not because it was wrong, but because it 
was such kind of labor as was performed on other days, and 
5* 



54 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

would have profaned the sabbath, if it had not been either 
enjoined, or necessary. Thirdly. Christ answered those 
who accused his disciples of profaning the sabbath, because 
that on this day they rubbed out a few ears of corn to satisfy 
their hunger, by referring to Hos. vi. 6 ; where the Lord 
says, "I desired mercy and not sacrifice." God had ap- 
pointed sacrifices, but he hated robbery for burnt offerings ; 
even if it was robbing the poor of those alms, which they 
needed to sustain life. He had appointed the sanctification 
of the sabbath, but he allowed us out of this day a sufficiency 
of time to take our stated meals. 

Let us now for a moment examine into this alleged breach 
of the sabbath. The disciples were hungry. They had a 
right by the divine law, as honesty was respected, to gather 
a few heads of wheat or barley to satisfy hunger. They did 
not probably consume so much time, in the gathering, rub- 
bing out, and eating, this dry meal, as is consumed in merely 
eating a common meal, after it is all placed upon the table. 
Surely, if the Pharisees had not been disposed to find fault 
with what was done by Christ and his followers, they 
would not have thought of grounding an accusation on so 
small a thing. Indeed this accusation is good proof, that 
the disciples of Jesus were exemplary in their observance 
of the sabbath, else the Pharisees, who continually watched 
for their halting, would have been able to have produced 
some greater allegation. 

Christ told these accusing Pharisees, that he was Lord 
even of the sabbath -day. As the great Author of the com- 
mandment, he was able to tell what he meant by keeping 
holy the sabbath ; and to declare what things might be done, 
and we be guiltless of polluting the day. As Lord of the 
sabbath, his honor was concerned to guard it against every 
unhallowed touch. 

Mark and Luke both give us an account of the Pharisees 
accusing the disciples of profaning the sabbath, because they 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 55 

plucked the ears of corn. Mark, in his account of it, relates 
one thing which our Savior said in his answer to the Pha- 
risees, which is omitted by Matthew. It is contained in the 
2d chapter of his Gospel, 27th verse; And he said unto 
them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for 
the sabbath. 

Here let us observe, 1st. That the Lord of the sabbath 
tells us that there was a sabbath made. We have hereto- 
fore seen when the sabbath was made, even as soon as the 
heavens and earth and all their host were finished. We 
have also seen, that the sabbath which was then made was 
renewedly enjoined by one of the ten commandments. We 
have also seen, by recurring to a number of inspired records, 
what things were forbidden to be done on that day, and how 
the hours must be spent to please God. Now this very sab- 
bath, instituted by the Creator, written with his own finger 
on one of the tables of stone, and guarded by many promises 
and threatenings, was the sabbath which our Savior must 
have meant. 

2ndly. We observe, that this sabbath was made/or man ; — 
not only for man to obey ; but it was also made for the ben- 
efit of man. What is the inference from this ? Is this the 
inference, ' Then man may use the sabbath as he pleases V 
As well might it be inferred, that because Christ died for 
sinners, to do them an infinite favor, therefore they may 
treat him as they please. If sinners would have the death 
of Christ prove a blessing to them, they must receive him 
as he is freely offered to them in the gospel. So, if the 
children of men would have that sabbath, which was made 
for them, prove a real benefit to them, they must keep it ac- 
cording to the commandment ; they must make it a holy 
and not a common day. Yet it was natural to infer, since 
the sabbath was made for man, and was not made a fasting 
day, that man might satisfy his hunger in such a way as 



56 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

the disciples did, without being considered as treading under 
foot " the holy of the Lord." 

The great latitude, which some have taken from this 
declaration of our Savior, is very unreasonable. The Savior 
evidently recognized the command which obliges us to hal- 
low the sabbath-day ; nor did he say any thing to encourage 
a loose explication of the command. When he said, that 
"man was not made for the sabbath " he did not mean to 
throw the reins on our necks, and tell us that we were made 
to live unto ourselves, and do with the sabbath as we pleased. 
We were made to glorify God. This is our duty, and in 
doing this, we shall find the favor of God, which is life. 
God is glorified by a conscientious observance of his holy 
day ; and not only so, but those, who thus observe it, are 
blessed in so doing, and are greatly furthered in their way 
to glory. 

Mark iii. 1 — 6. 
And he entered again into the synagogue ; and there 
ivas a man there which had a withered hand : and they 
watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath- 
day ; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the 
man with the withered hand, stand forth. And he saith 
unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath-days, or 
to do evil ? to save life, or to kill ? But they held their 
peace. And when he had looked round about on them 
with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, 
he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he 
stretched it out : and his hand was restored whole as the 
other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway 
took counsel with the Herodians against him, hoio they 
might destroy him. 

The same matter is narrated, Matt. xii. 9 — 13, and Luke 
vi. 6—11. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 57 

Before I proceed to make any comment on this portion of 
scripture, I shall introduce two others from the Gospel of 
Luke, which are very similar to this ; so that the same re- 
marks will be naturally suggested by them all. The first 
is, chapter xiii. 10 — 17. 

And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the 
sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman ivhich had a 
spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together 
and could in no loise lift up herself And when Jesus saw 
her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou 
art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands 
on her : and immediately she was made straight and glo- 
rified God. And the rider of the synagogue ansivered 
with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the 
sabbath-day, and said unto the people, There are six days 
in which men ought to work : in them therefore come and 
be healed, and not on the sabbath-day. The Lord then 
answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each 
one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the 
stall, and lead him away tu watering ? And ought not 
this looman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan 
hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this 
bond on the sabbath-day ? And when he had said these 
things, all his adversaries were ashamed : and all the 
people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done 
by him. 

The other is, chapter xiv. 1 — 6. 

And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of 
the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath-day, that 
they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man 
before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus ansicering, 
spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful 



58 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

to heal on the sabbath-day ? And they held their peace. 
And he took him, and healed him, and let him go ; and 
answered them saying, Which of you shall have an ass or 
an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him 
out on the sabbath-day ? And they could not answer him 
again to these things. 

From these scriptures we learn, 1. That there are certain 
works of necessity and mercy, which may be done upon 
the sabbath-day. The manner in which Christ speaks of 
the general practice, of loosing the ox or the ass from the 
stall to lead him away to watering- on the sabbath-day, im- 
plies, that he does not disapprove of the practice, as being 
inconsistent with a holy observance of the day. Nothing 
is to be done on the sabbath, for the sake of getting along 
with our worldly business ; — for the sake of accumulating 1 
property. In this respect, the command is strict, Thou shalt 
not do any work. But this docs not forbid us, even on the 
sabbath-day, to deal out to our cattle the hay and provender, 
which we have laid up on other days. All the business 
which can be done before the sabbath, to render us and our 
beasts comfortable through the day, is to be done ; and all 
which can be left until after the sabbath, is to be left undone. 
But even, when this direction is followed, some things of a 
secular nature, such as foddering and watering our cattle, 
and dressing food for ourselves, must be done on the sab- 
bath itself. 

The Lord of the sabbath allowed of loosing the ox and 
the ass from the stall, to lead them away to watering on this 
day; but did he allow of loosing them from the stall, to 
drive them in droves to the market ; or to draw those bur- 
dens, which, in his word, he had expressly forbidden to be 
borne on the sabbath-day ? Who would think of inferring 
the latter from the former ? 

The Divine Teacher also allowed of works of mercy ; and 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 59 

these had always been allowed ; for he did not abate the 
sanctity of the sabbath. If a beast had fallen into a pit, or 
was otherwise in distressed circumstances, he evidently con- 
sidered it lawful to afford it relief on his holy day. He 
considered healing the sick, as a thing not inconsistent with 
the sanctification of the day. Christ himself healed without 
any labor; yet I think we may learn from what he did, and 
from what he said on the subject, that it is lawful for phy- 
sicians to minister healing medicines to the sick on the 
Lord's day. Yet I cannot think that Christ will approve of 
making the sabbath the particular day of resorting to the 
physician : nor do I think he is pleased to have physicians 
make this, more particularly than other days, the day of 
visiting their patients. He searcheth the reins and hearts, 
and knoweth who among this profession of men are desi- 
rous of resting from their labors, to devote the day to the 
exercises of religion.* 

Other works of mercy, such as affording relief to those 
who are in suffering circumstances, are consistent with keep- 
ing the day holy to the Lord. If one of you on a Lord's day 
morning, just ready to go to the house of God to attend on 
his worship, should be informed, that a family at the distance 
of several miles, was perishing with hunger, it would be 
no breach of the sabbath, to turn your attention to them, 
though for this time your seat in the house of God should 
thereby become empty. Mercy, in such an instance, would 
be more pleasing to God than sacrifice. Such a case would 
serve to explain the question put to the scribes and Phari- 
sees, " Is it lawful on the sabbath-day to do good, or to do 
evil ? to save life, or to destroy it ?" 

2. From the passages of scripture now before us, we 

* Physicians are bound by the law of the sabbath, (as it stands in the word 
of God,) to do all they can towards preparing their medicines beforehand ; so 
that they may have as little diversion as possible from the appropriate duties 
of the holy day. 



60 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

learn, that men may even be rigid in the external obser- 
vance of the sabbath, and yet have no tine piety. They 
who keep it as a day consecrated to the honor and worship 
of the Most High, and delight in it as such, are pious ; they 
are meetening for the inheritance of the saints in light : but 
no degree of external strictness ought to be considered as 
decisive proof that we love God. Our blessed Lord plainly 
told the Pharisees, that the love of God was not in them ; 
and yet from the scripture before us, we find these very 
Pharisees found much fault with him, because he was no 
stricter in his observance of the sabbath. They were whi- 
ted sepulchres. Their religion was all outside. They had 
no principle of supreme love to God; and yet were ready 
to condemn Immanuel, God himself, because he was no 
more holy. Some have considered a strict regard to the 
external observance of the sabbath as a proof of hypocrisy; 
but this is wrong: God requires strictness. Nehemiah, a 
man greatly approved of God, was remarkably strict in ob- 
serving the sabbath, and in requiring others to do it. Christ 
did not find fault with the Pharisees for their strictness, 
even in paying tithes of mint, anise, and cummin ; but for 
omitting the weightier matters of religion. I do not know 
that he found fault with them for their external strictness in 
observing the sabbath, except in those instances in which 
they condemned him as a profaner of the sabbath. And in 
these instances he showed them that their own allowed 
practice in other cases, such as relieving animals in distress, 
or leading their creatures to watering, would justify him, 
and make it appear, that he was in reality as strict as they 
were. But all their strictness was nothing pleasing to the 
holy Jesus; "he looked round about on them with anger, 
being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." He looked 
into their hearts, and there saw none of the love of God : 
— he saw no godly sorrow for sin ; no faith in the divine 
promises ; nor any of that meek ; humble, sweet, benevolent 



DISCOURSES ON THE SAEBATH. 61 

temper, which is essential to an amiable character. If these 
are wanting, all is wanting. If, on the Lord's day, we do 
no work, perform no journey, read no books but such as are 
on the subject of religion, have no discourse except such 
as is serious, and are still destitute of the love of God 
shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, let us not in- 
dulge a thought that we are Christians. 

Matth. xxiv. 20. 
But pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither 
on the sabbath-day. 

In this passage Christ seems to put honor on the sabbath- 
day. Fleeing from an invading foe might be lawful on the 
sabbath ; but still it would be a great impediment to a spir- 
itual enjoyment of its sacred hours ; therefore it was suita- 
ble to pray, that such an event might, by the disposals of 
Providence, be prevented from occurring on that holy day. 
From this perhaps we may learn, that it manifests want of 
regard to the sabbath to make choice of that as the day of 
making an attack on our enemy ; and we ought to pray, 
that they may be prevented from taking that day to attack 
us. It is not only proper to deprecate conflagrations, inun- 
dations, and such unforeseen calamities ; but also to pray, if 
God sees it necessary to chastise us by them, that in mercy 
he would not send them on the sabbath-day, as they would 
tend to divert our attention from its appropriate and very 
important duties. The sabbath is the most important day 
of the week. So the scriptures consider it. The other days 
of the week are more immediately devoted to prepare to live 
here ; but the sabbath is more peculiarly devoted to prepare 
to live in heaven. We ought therefore to prefer to be 
diverted from the secular pursuits of one of the working 
days, rather than to be diverted from the religious duties of 
the Lord's day. 



62 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

Luke xxiii. 55, 56. 
And the women also which came from Galilee, followed 
after, and beheld the sepulchre, andhoiv his body was laid, 
and they returned, and prepared spices and ointments ; and 
rested the sabbath-day, according to the commandment. 

1. It is worthy of observation, that these women who 
came from Galilee, from all the account which we have of 
them, were among the choicest disciples which Jesus had. 
From the eighth chapter of this Gospel we learn, that they 
ministered to him of their substance. They followed him 
to the cross, and to the sepulchre. They prepared spices 
and ointments to perfume his dead body ; and on the first 
day of the week, they came early to perform what they 
supposed would be the last kind office to him whom they 
loved. These women had all of them sat at the feet of 
Jesus, and heard his word. They had deeply drunk of his 
spirit. By following him from place to place, they had op- 
portunity to become acquainted with his practice, as well as 
with his doctrine. 

2. It is worthy of observation, that these holy women 
rested the sabbath-day, according to the commandment. It 
is not said, they rested according to the tradition of the 
elders, the sentiment of the Pharisees, or the superstition of 
the Jews ; but that they rested according to the command- 
ment. From this we may safely conclude, that Jesus Christ 
taught his followers, both by precept and example, to keep 
the sabbath-day as a holy rest. 

3. It is worthy to be observed, what these Christian women 
rested from on the sabbath : they rested from anointing the 
body of Jesus. This was the work which they were pre- 
paring to do, when the sabbath arrived ; and it was a work 
which their hearts were much set upon, as appears by the 
sequel ; and yet they rested even from this work of love on 



DISCOURSES OIVT TTTE SARRATH. 63 

the sabbath, according to the commandment.* Jesus Christ 
who being dead, yet lived in spirit, was no doubt more 
pleased to see these friends of his, resting on the sabbath, 
according to the commandment, than to have seen them 
anointing his body with the most costly ointments ; else he 
would not have influenced the Evangelist to use such words 
in making a record of it. From this case we may learn, 
that the sabbath may be profaned by unnecessary work 
about the dead ; such as digging graves, making coffins, or 
preparing mourning apparel. If a person dying on Friday, 
is to be buried on the sabbath, it would be a profanation of 
the day, to defer preparing the coffin and grave until the 
sabbath, because they could then be xseasonably prepared. 
To do unnecessary work relating to the dead, is only to 
make this a cover for the profanation of holy time. Let me 
ask, Would it be any more consistent with the fourth com- 
mandment, to go into the burying-ground, to set up grave 
stones on the sabbath-day, than to transact any secular busi- 
ness ? It may often be necessary to dig a grave on this holy 
day, but it can never be necessary to set up grave stones : 
And when it is known to be no more necessary to do the 
one, than the other, then they are equally forbidden. 

4. It may be worth noticing when this sabbath was, on 
which these Christian women rested according to the com- 
mandment. It was after Christ came into the world. It 
was after he had gone through with his public ministry, and 
expired on the cross. Even then, his most devoted friends 
kept the sabbath, according to the commandment. If the 
sabbath out-lived the life of Christ upon earth, then all 
which is drawn from the example of Christ, or of his disci- 
ples, while he was yet with them, to do away the obliga- 
tion of sanctifying the sabbath, is of no force. 

* Query. Would not such women have also rested from the work of a 
daiiy on the sabbath, with a belief that such resting was according to the com- 
mandment 1 



64 DTSrOTTRSFS OT\T THE SARRATH, 

In the Gospel of John, we have two other instances of 
miracles of healing, performed by Christ on the sabbath. Of 
one we have the account in the fifth, and of the other in the 
ninth chapter. In both these cases we find the Jews object- 
ing against the piety of Jesus, because he did these things 
on the sabbath-day. As we have already attended to this 
objection, we shall not examine both these cases distinctly. 
But there is something in the reply which our Savior made 
to them, when they found fault with his healing the impo- 
tent man, which deserves some particular attention. 

John v. 16, 17. 
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought 
to slay him, because he had done these things on the sab- 
bath-day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh 
hitherto, and I work. 

It may be said, Does not our Savior, in this answer to the 
Jews, acknowledge that he worked on the sabbath-day, and 
that he had ever made a practice of doing it? If then he is 
to be our pattern, may we not work on the sabbath, and be 
blameless ? 

If any one has been led by this passage to such a conclu- 
sion, let him devote only a moment or two to a candid re- 
examination of it, and he will see, that no such conclusion 
ought to have been drawn from it. 

In this passage we notice, That Jesus brings into view 
the example of his Father, to support him in working on 
the sabbath-day ; " My Father worketh hitherto, and i" work." 
But in the fourth commandment, and at the first institution 
of the sabbath, God's resting from his work on the sabbath, 
is proposed as our example for resting from our work on 
that day. And let it ever be kept in mind, that divine truth 
does not stand opposed to divine truth. When the scrip- 
ture informs us, that on the seventh day God rested from his 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 65 

work, we are not to obtain the idea, that he rested from all 
kind of work and became inactive during the sabbath. He 
rested from the work of creation ; but from the work of 
providence he could not rest a moment, without creation's 
returning to its primitive nothing. All things are constantly- 
upheld by the word of his power, and directed by his wis- 
dom. It was in this sense, that Christ declared that his 
Father had worked hitherto. In the same sense, He, as 
being one with the Father, continually worked and now 
works. His providential care of his kingdom, and of the 
works of his hands went on during the sabbath as much as 
on any other day. And he meant they should consider his 
preserving, or restoring the health of men, as a part of that 
providential work, which it became him, as God over all, to 
carry on without regard to the distinction of days. Jesus 
was the Son of man, as well as the Son of God. As a man 
he kept the sabbath-day holy, according to the command- 
ment. He is called the carpenter. It is altogether probable 
that while he lived with his father Joseph, he pursued this 
occupation with him. Now let me ask, is there a single 
hearer, who entertains an idea, that Jesus, as a carpenter, 
worked on the sabbath-day? Was it such work that he 
meant when he said, " And I work." If he had made a 
practice of pursuing such work on the sabbath-day, it must 
have been known ; and it would certainly have been ob- 
jected against him, instead of their objecting against him, 
that he removed a disease of thirty and eight years standing, 
merely by a word's speaking. 

Acts i. 12. 
Then returned they unto Jerusalem, from the mount 
called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath-daifs 
journey. 

1. It may be proper to ascertain the distance of mount 
Olivet from Jerusalem. By turning your eye to Zechariah 
6* 



66 DISCOURSES OX THE SABBATH. 

xiv. 3, you will see that it is contiguous to Jerusalem: 
" And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of 
Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east." By com- 
paring the passage which is now Under consideration with 
Luke xxiv. 50, we learn that Bethany was on mount Olivet : 
and from John. xi. 18, we learn that Bethany was about 
fifteen furlongs off from Jerusalem. Fifteen furlongs are a 
little less than two miles. It was not therefore to exceed 
two miles from mount Olivet to Jerusalem. 

2. It may be proper to inquire why this distance is ex- 
pressed by a sabbath-day ] s journey . Let it be remembered, 
that the Holy Spirit had a reason for directing the writer to 
this particular mode of expression in telling the distance 
from the mount of Olives to Jerusalem. By this we are 
taught, that " a sabbath-day's journey" is not more than two 
miles. And this is as much as to tell us, that it is no day 
to pursue journeys on secular business : for those who are 
pursuing such journeys would not think of moving forward, 
for the sake of getting two miles on their way. It is proba- 
ble that in the land of Israel, thickly inhabited as that 
country was, the extremes of a congregation, meeting at 
the same synagogue, were not more than two miles from 
the centre ; from which circumstance it might become usual 
to term this distance " a sabbath-day's journey." If circum- 
stances are such as to render it necessary to enlarge the 
limits of a congregation, then it will take more furlongs to 
make a sabbath-day's journey. In fine, a sabbath-day's 
journey, according to the true spirit of it, is to each one of 
us, the same as the distance from his own house to the 
house of God. 

But pursuing journeys of business or of pleasure, and that 
without restraint, not only pollutes the sabbath, but is among 
the things which in our land greatly pollute it. It would 
appear worse than laboring in the field, if it were not sanc- 
tioned by the practice of so many. It is as much our work 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 67 

as labor in the field. The traveller interrupts more people 
in their sanctifieation of holy time, and places his bad exam- 
ple before a greater number of observers, than the man who 
labors in his field. He is the means of preventing the gate- 
keeper, (if he travels on a turnpike,) from attending on 
public worship ; and sometimes from attending on the pri- 
vate duties of religion. By means of the general practice 
of travelling, there are seasons of the year, when the sabbath 
is in many public houses nearly secularized, and reduced 
to a level with other days.* The smith is tempted by the 
traveller, to help him on his way, by those repairs which 

* I have no doubt but there are many tavern-keepers, who, with their fami- 
lies, feel burthened with this profanation of the sabbath ; and long to be freed 
from such a bustle and hurry of business on this day of rest. The tavern- 
keeper, who is pleased with it, because it brings money into his coffer, resem- 
bles those popish priests who get a great revenue by selling to the people 
indulgences to sin. But perhaps there are some of those who keep houses of 
entertainment, who think it would not relieve them from their cares, if travel- 
lers were to rest from their journeying ; as they would still have their share 
of travellers to provide for during the sabbath. To this difficulty, it may be 
replied: 1. If these travellers are doing right in resting during the sabbath, it 
is no sin to provide for them. They are your lawful family, if you keep a 
public house, and thus are to be considered in the light of boarders. God by 
the law of the sabbath tells them to rest from their tvork, (which is now jour- 
neying,) and to put up at your house, where the sabbath has overtaken them ; 
and therefore, he tells you to take care of them as a part of your family. 2. It 
is not near as perplexing to have a steady family to provide for, even if its 
steadiness lasts but for twenty-four hours, as to have the same number con- 
tinually coming and going ; and you know not what to depend upon. 3. If 
houses of entertainment are more desirous of a holy resting on the sabbath 
than of making money, they might, in the case of most travellers, dispense 
with making any extra preparations, intimating that the bill would be made 
out accordingly. Good breeding, if no higher principle existed, one would 
think, would induce travellers to be less particular, that the family might have 
as little diversion as possible from the appropriate duties of the Lord's day. 
4. If travelling on the sabbath were to be considered as unlawful, and so be 
laid aside, many who now are on the road on the sabbath> would so order their 
journey as not to be from home on this day. Such a reformation, without 
diminishing the quantity of travel, would lessen the number of travellers which 
would be from home over the sabbath. 



68 discourses on the sarrath. 

belong to his occupation. And even the farmer living on 
the great road, is sometimes drawn into a profanation of the 
sabbath by the solicitation of the teamster who wants his 
assistance to enable him to rise a difficult hill ; or to extri- 
cate him from some other embarrassment. To all the other 
aggravations of this particular way of profaning holy time, 
that already suggested is no small one, namely, that it sets 
an evil example before a great number of people, who are 
all of them apt enough to profane the sabbath, without be- 
ing emboldened to do it by the bad example of others. 

If to all this it should be replied, ' It is a general practice, 
and therefore ought to be tolerated ;' let me beg you to read 
Exod. xxiii. 2; "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do 
evil." The greater the number who are in this practice, 
and the nearer the custom has become, as it were, a law, 
the more alarm ought to be excited. When the most evi- 
dent transgressions of God's law are sanctioned by general 
custom, then may we expect to hear the Holy One of Israel 
say, " Shall not I visit for these things, and shall not my 
soul be avenged on such a nation as this ?" 

3. It is perhaps worthy of remark, that this mention of a 
sabbath-day's journey was posterior to the death and resur- 
rection of our Lord. From this we infer, that even as late 
as this, the Spirit of inspiration delighted to honor the 
weekly sabbath, by teaching us that it was not a day in 
which to pursue our common journeys. 

As journeying is, at this day, one of the most common 
profanations of the sabbath ; — one in which all classes, high 
and low, rich and poor, (not excepting church communi- 
cants) partake ; — and since it is such a profanation of the 
sabbath as is either justified or extenuated, even by some of 
those who profess a regard for the day, it may perhaps be 
useful to dwell longer on this part of our subject, by at- 
tempting an answer to some of the most popular objections, 



nTSC!OTTRSP.S OTV THE SARRATH. 



69 



which are made against the ideas which have now been 
advanced. 

The following are some of the objections which are 
made :* 

1. " When we are on a journey, we are away from our 
families, and we want very much to get home." 

Does your being away from your families give you any 
more right to transgress an express command of God, than 
though you were at home with them? If so, when you 
are from home, you may take the Lord's name in vain 
and be guiltless ; when you are away from your families, 
you need not keep the sixth, seventh or eighth command- 
ments, but may kill, commit adultery and steal. " But we 
want to be with our families." It is agreeable to see men 
love their families, and to manifest it either by keeping 
at home, or returning home as soon as their business and 
duty will permit. But let me ask my brethren, whether 
their families lie upon their hearts with so much weight, 
that business of great consequence would not detain them 
one day longer ? Is not keeping the commands of God of 
as much consequence, as worldly business ? Brethren, if 
we love our families, let us be exhorted not to travel on the 
Lord's day, for the sake of being with them one day sooner. 
We had better leave them in the care of our heavenly 
Father, than to displease him for the sake of seeing them 
the sooner. " Blessed is the man who feareth the Lord, 
that delighteth greatly in his commandments ; his seed 
shall be mighty upon the earth." It may in this connexion 
be urged ; " our minds will be upon our journey, whether we 
pursue it or not ; therefore we had as good go on, as lie still 
and keep thinking of our journey." Why do you not say 

* These objections, with the answers to them, will be found in the Con. 
Evan. Magazine, Vol, v. First Series. The author, in adopting these into his 
work, does not feel that he has abused any other writer ; or subjected himself 
to the charge of plagiarism. 



70 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

so about the other commands : — that you had as good openly 
break them as have any desire that way? If, then, you 
covet any thing which is your neighbor's, you may as well 
steal it. " Resist the devil," is the command, and the prom- 
ise is, " he will flee from you." 

2. " Works of necessity and mercy may be done." 

It will be granted, that to heal a broken bone, you may 
ride a distance even on the Lord's day, to obtain the aid of 
the surgeon. To relieve a distressed and starving family, 
whose distressing circumstances have just come to your 
knowledge, you may take the first moment, though it be 
the Lord's time, to carry them some relief. Here mercy is 
to be preferred before sacrifice. In this sense, works of 
necessity and mercy may be done on the Lord's day. But 
it is exceedingly wrong to apply this rule to our common 
journeying. I appeal to husbandmen, — Is not the harvest 
more pressing than journeying? Yet God himself has 
said, " In earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest." Is 
travelling, in its very nature, a work of necessity ? then let 
a man only make this his constant employment, and the 
fourth commandment becomes wholly inapplicable to him. 
Is this, then, the true meaning of the command, " Remem- 
ber the sabbath-day to keep it holy," except you are on a 
journey ? 

3. " But we do keep the sabbath-day holy, though we 
pursue our journey ; for we can have as good thoughts on 
the road, as if we were to suspend our journey." 

To this we answer; That having good thoughts does 
not, of itself, constitute a sanctification of the sabbath. A 
man may think of God and nothing else all the day, and 
yet not keep the day holy. There is an external as well as 
an internal sanctification of the sabbath. If the external be 
wanting, we do not keep the sabbath holy. — When man 
was in a state of innocency, his thoughts were all good and 
holy ; yet, even then, he was obliged to sanctify the seventh 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 71 

day in distinction from the other days of the week. Sanc- 
tifying- the sabbath must mean, then, something more than 
having pious thoughts. The children of God are some- 
times favored with remarkable nearness to God on week 
days, while they are pursuing their secular business, while 
they are laboring in their shops, or in their fields, or while 
their hands take hold on the distaff; but still this is not 
keeping sabbath~day. And we should all think they did 
very wrong, to plead the lawfulness of pursuing these occu- 
pations on the sabbath, by saying, that they could have as 
good thoughts while at work in their houses, shops and 
fields, as if they were worshipping in the house of the 
Lord. Let us, my brethren, be ashamed to make such a 
weak objection as this. If we hold it up to the light, we 
shall see it to be frivolous. Our having pious meditations 
on the road, no more makes a sanctification of the sabbath, 
than it would, if we were to have the same meditations 
while laboring in our fields. Here I would remark, that 
though the husbandman has precious thoughts in his field 
on a week day, yet he would have no reason to expect to be 
thus favored of God, if he were to go into his field on the 
Lord's holy day. — So the traveller, who is favored with the 
most delightful communion with his heavenly Father on 
Saturday, would have no reason to expect the continuance 
of this inestimable favor the next day, if he were to pursue 
his journey. We have no right to seek, nor reason to ex- 
pect communion with God, out of the ways of his appoint- 
ment. If we would enjoy his favor, we must, like Enoch 
and Noah, walk with God. 

4. " We sometimes fall in among a very wicked people 
on the sabbath, where they pay no attention to the day, 
except it be to behave worse than on any other days ; in 
such a case, we think we had better go on our journey, than 
to stay in such company." 

The very reason stated in the objection for proceeding on 



72 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

your journey, is a powerful reason against it. Trie com- 
mand of the Savior, is, "Let your light shine before men, 
that they seeing your good works may glorify your Father 
who is in heaven." Now let me ask, Where in the world 
do people need the light of your holy example, more than 
in such a dark place as the objection supposes ? And in 
what do they need your example more, than in the sanctifl- 
cation of the sabbath ? If your hearts are full of love to 
God, and to the souls of men. can you let so fair an oppor- 
tunity of doing good pass unimproved ? The Lord has in 
his providence cast your lot for one sabbath among those 
who greatly pollute this holy day. You must stay and re- 
prove them. Good example is the most striking kind of 
reproof. If they see you lying by from your journey all 
the sabbath, for no other reason only because it is the Lord's 
time and not yours, it cannot fail to arrest their attention, 
even though you should not speak one word on the duty 
of observing the day. This would command more atten- 
tion, and be likely to do more good, than all you could pos- 
sibly soy on the duty of observing the commandment, pro- 
vided you did not observe it yourself. Words cost but 
little, but there is some expense of time and money in lying 
by at an inn one whole day. I know one man, who had 
his attention much called up to the duty of sanctifying the 
sabbath, by the circumstance of having a traveller put up at 
his tavern during this holy day. If such examples prove 
effectual only one time in a thousand, it is worth our while 
to set them before our fellow sinners continually. 

The objectors suppose that the sabbath cannot be enjoyed 
among these ungodly people so well as on the road : but let 
me ask such, whether they have made a trial, to see how 
well they can enjoy this consecrated day in a public house? 
Perhaps you could obtain a chamber, where you might 
spend the day in secret duties, if there be no public worship 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 73 

in the place.* If the weather be mild, you might in al- 
most any part of the country find, in some neighboring 
woods or orchard, a place to pray, read and meditate ; and 
this would be a suitable way to fill up this day of heaven. 
If you have not tried this method of spending the sabbath 
when on a journey, you ought not to say, that the wicked- 
ness of the place makes it necessary that you should pro- 
ceed on your way. But supposing you can have no retire- 
ment at all, (which is hardly a supposable case,) I think you 
have reason to expect a good sabbath, if you conscientiously 
refrain from proceeding on your journey, which is now 
your work. " If thou turn away thy foot from" encroaching 
upon " the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy 
day," saith Jehovah — " then thou shalt delight thyself in the 
Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of 
the earth," — i. e. I will make thee prosper in spirituals and 
in temporals — thou shalt have much delight in communion 
with thy God, and he will bless thy substance. This will 
prepare us to answer another objection. 

5. " It is very expensive to lie by a whole day, when we 
are on a journey, and are all the while living upon our 
money." 

To this objection we answer, first, That profaning the 
Lord's day is a poor way to make money or save expenses. 
" Will a man rob God," to save expense ? Is not this the 
way to bring down his curse on your blessings ? Do not 
you, who believe the weekly sabbath to be a divine institu- 

* If those who make the above objection against lying by on the sabbath, do 
not cease to proceed on their journey, as soon as they come among a people, 
who attend public worship ; or if they do not stop their travelling at the first 
house, public or private, where the sabbath appears to be reverenced, (pro- 
vided they can have entertainment,) then it is manifest, that the reason which 
they offer for travelling is not the one which really influences them ; but is in- 
vented, either to still an accusing conscience, or to stop the mouth of the 
brother, who is so kind and faithful as to reprove them for disobedience to 
God's holy commands. 
7 



74 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

tion, also believe that a nation, which carefully observe the 
institution, have reason to expect even greater temporal 
prosperity, than a nation which altogether disregard it, 
though this disregard gives them one more day in the week 
for labor? Why then have we any reason to expect to 
increase our wealth, by taking the hordes time for our 
journey? It is infinitely easy for God so to order his provi- 
dences, that what we appear to gain, by robbing him of the 
time which he has reserved to himself, we should lose in 
some other way, even before we have accomplished our 
journey. 

To the objection now under consideration, I would an- 
swer, in the second place ; Though it be expensive to lie 
by when we are out from home, still this is no reason why 
we should not do it ; for it is also expensive to rest from 
labor when we are at home. A large family will consume 
several dollars' worth of provisions on the sabbath, and 
they are earning nothing. Now, why may it not be plead 
in favor of their being at work in the field, or in the loom ; 
that it is very expensive for so many to be eating and 
drinking, while they are earning nothing ? The same ar- 
gument, which you use to push you on your journey, you 
may use to drive your sons into the field, and your daugh- 
ters to their several domestic employments. It would be 
trifling to endeavor to make a distinction by saying, "but 
at a tavern I have to pay out money for my sabbath's pro- 
vision, while I have provision laid up for my family at 
home." What they eat and drink at home, either cost you 
money, or would have fetched you money ; therefore you 
may just as well say, "I cannot afford to have my family 
lie by upon the sabbath ; for they are upon expense." This 
objection against the expense of lying by on the sabbath, 
appears to be founded almost wholly in covetousness, or 
that love of the world, which is inconsistent with the love 
of the Father: and yet this is probably the greatest and 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 75 

most influential of all the objections. The losing of one 
day's advance in our journey, together with the bill of ex- 
pense incurred in the mean time, no doubt, does more 
towards making people travel on the sabbath, than all other 
reasons put together. But can they, who seek first the 
kingdom of God — can they, who henceforth live not unto 
themselves, but unto him, who died for them — can they, 
whose treasure is in heaven— can they, who call the sab- 
bath a delight, the queen of days, and the day of heaven — 
can they offer such selfish reasons for trampling the holy 
sabbath into the dust? "Let us awake to righteousness 
and sin not." 

But some man will say, "These answers are all good, 
when applied to Christian professors. They ought not to 
travel on the sabbath, and it is a shame to their profession 
when they do ; but 1" make no pretensions to religion, 
though I believe the Bible to be the word of God." Do you 
think, then, my friend, that your making no profession, 
gives you any liberty to transgress an acknowledged law of 
God ? If you should command all your children to obey a 
certain precept, and only half of them should explicitly 
promise obedience, would the other half be under no obliga- 
tion ; or under less obligation to obey you ? Why do you 
not, on the same ground you have taken, plead an exemp- 
tion from yielding obedience to the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th 
commandments ? When you are at home, you do not hold 
that it is right for you to work in your field on the Lord's 
day, any more than for your neighbor who is a professor ; 
why, then, should you have any more right than he, to pur- 
sue your journey ? Besides, my friend, if you are no Chris- 
tian, it is time that you were a Christian. To attain to this, 
the word of God gives this direction among others — " Let 
the wicked forsake his way? Again, it is said, " Cease to 
do evil, learn to do well." Certainly, our impenitence can- 
not be offered as a reasonable excuse for any neglect of 



76 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

duty, when the impenitence itself is considered as highly 
criminal. " God commandeth all men every where to re- 
pent." He also requires fruits meet for repentance. He re- 
quires every thing which is right, and forbids every thing 
which is wrong ; and these requirements and prohibitions 
are binding on all men. Let no one therefore plead an 
exemption from the duty of resting on the sabbath accord- 
ing to the commandment ; or an exemption from any other 
duty enjoined in the word of God. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 77 



FOURTH DISCOURSE. 

John v. 39. 
Search the Scriptures. 



All believers in the inspiration of the scriptures, are agreed 
in the belief of the Old Testament sabbath. They all be- 
lieve, there was a sabbath-day ; but they do not all believe 
there is a sabbath-day now under the present dispensation. 
Here let it be remarked, That if the sabbath ever came to 
an end, it could not be until the death of Christ ; for the 
Old Testament dispensation lasted until that time : therefore 
nothing from the example of Christ, or of his disciples, 
while he was with them, can be pleaded against the present 
existence of a sabbath, without making it operate against 
the unexceptionableness of their obedience to the divine law. 
Christ evidently thought, that in fulfilling all righteousness, 
it behoved him to observe all the peculiar prescriptions of 
the Old Testament. He attended the passover, and the 
other Jewish feasts, not only while a child, but after he en- 
tered on his public ministry, and even until his death. He 
required a leper whom he healed, to show himself to the 
priest, and offer for his cleansing what Moses had com- 
manded. It is a common thing, if I mistake not, for those 
who consider the law of the sabbath as binding only upon 
the ancient church, to make much use of the example of 
Christ, to justify their sentiment. But it is wrong to make 
this use of it ; for if we are not bound to keep the sabbath, 
Jesus Christ was bound to keep it as holy as the fourth 
commandment required. Let therefore a tender regard to 
the character of our Savior, induce every one to relinquish 
7* 



78 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

this argument, which has been brought to favor the abro- 
gation of the sabbath. 

Instead of further pursuing my plan of going from one 
scripture to another in regular order, making remarks on 
each ; I propose to devote this discourse to prove the perpe- 
tuity and change of the sabbath. In doing this, those ap- 
propriate passages, which are still forward of us in the 
sacred volume, will naturally be introduced. 

First. A few arguments will be brought to prove the 
perpetuity of the weekly sabbath. This will require the 
repetition of some of those arguments which have been al- 
ready used in another place. The perpetual obligation of 
keeping holy to the Lord one day every week, is capable of 
being proved by such arguments as these : 

1. The sabbath was instituted before the fall, and could 
not therefore be a ceremonial institution. The various 
sacrifices and washings, of which we read in the Old Tes- 
tament, were added to the moral law because of transgres- 
sions. [Gal. iii. 19.] These observances were binding on 
the church until the great sacrifice was offered, and the 
Spirit was marvellously poured out ; then they ceased to be 
binding. But how can the abrogation of these superadded 
institutions, affect the existence of the weekly sabbath, which 
was established by the Creator before there was even any 
room made for their establishment? If man had not be- 
come an apostate, the law of ceremonies could not have 
been : but the sabbath existed before man apostatized, and 
would have continued from the beginning to the end of the 
world, (if an end had ever come.) provided man had re- 
mained innocent. Does any one hesitate, whether the 
weekly sabbath would have been a perpetually binding in- 
stitution, during the age of the world, if man had not fallen 
from his original rectitude? I think no one can have any 
hesitation on the subject. How then can it be, that the in- 
troduction of sin, together with the plan of redemption, 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 79 

should set aside our obligation to keep holy to the Lord the 
weekly sabbath ? As well might it be supposed, that when 
the ceremonial law was abrogated the law of marriage went 
with it. Marriage and the sabbath were both instituted at 
the same time, and before man became a. fallen creature. 
The fall did not destroy the institution of marriage. It was 
before the fall, and after the fall : — It was under the law, and 
existed after the law of ceremonies had vanished away. All 
these changes in the state of man, and the state of the 
church, produced no change in this institution, which was 
cotemporary with that of the holy sabbath. During all 
these changes, it is still the will of the Creator, c that a man 
should leave father and mother and cleave to his wife, and 
that they two should be no more twain, but one flesh.' So, 
during ail these changes, the sabbath, which was divinely 
instituted before them all, must be supposed to exist. 

2. The perpetuity of the weekly sabbath, may be argued 
from the perpetuity of the vieek itself; or the continued 
practice of reckoning seven days together into one portion 
of time, and then beginning a new series of days until the 
number of seven is again completed. The dividing of time 
into days and years, is natural ;. but it is not so with 
dividing it into weeks. No reason, that I know of, can be 
assigned for this, but that which is contained in the scriptu- 
ral account of the creation ; that in six days God created 
the heavens and the earthy and rested the seventh day. 
Thus God, the Creator, made the week of seven days; 
assigning six days to labor and one to a holy rest. His 
most express object, in this division of time, appears to be 
the establishment of the sabbatical day. And it would be 
natural to suppose, that if he intended at the commencement 
of the Christian era, or any other period, to abolish the 
weekly sabbath, he would abolish the week itself, which 
seems to have been formed on purpose to give existence and 
notoriety to the sabbath. When the French Convention 



80 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

chose to annihilate the weekly sabbath, they wisely struck 
the axe at the root of the tree, by annihilating the week 
itself. Instead of reckoning time by weeks, they determined 
to reckon by decades, that is, periods of ten days. But we do 
not find that the Founder of the Christian religion, when he 
appeared on earth, changed the weeks into decades ; or into 
any thing else. He found seven-day weeks, ajid he left 
such weeks, as is manifest from the whole New Testament. 
This is a presumptive proof, that the sabbath, that eminent 
day of the week for which the week was made, is still to be 
continued, with all its peculiar duties. 

3. We must be allowed to repeat the argument, derived 
from God's placing the law of the sabbath in the midst of 
nine other commandments, which, it is acknowledged on all 
hands, are binding on Christians, as much as they were on 
Jews. Is it not very difficult to account for it, that Jehovah, 
who is a God of order, and not of confusion, should place a 
ceremonial institute, which was to vanish away, in such a 
situation as this? Is there no important instruction to be 
gained by these commandments being written on stone ? 
There w r ere other sabbaths appointed to the Jewish church, 
which were not from the beginning ; these were not written 
upon the tables of stone. Commandments perpetually oblig- 
atory, it is true, were written upon parchment, or paper: 
but when so few as ten short commandments were written 
upon stones, and that with the finger of God, can we sup- 
pose that one of these ten was a ceremonial precept, which 
has long since vanished away ? I fear the sentiment will 
lead, (whatever may now be thought of its harmlessness,) 
to make light of our obligation to obey the other nine com- 
mandments, which by the same finger of God were written 
on the same tables of stone. If we think that Christ has 
abolished one of the ten commandments, we shall flatter 
ourselves that he has, at least softened down the others; 
until we make the easiness of his yoke to consist in his 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 81 

giving us liberty unrestrainedly to fulfil the lusts of the flesh 
and of the mind. 

4. Stated seasons of public worship are foretold as exist- 
ing in gospel days. Isa. lxvi. 23; "And it shall come 
to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one 
sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before 
me, saith the Lord." It will be granted by all, that this 
refers to the gospel times. It refers particularly to the times 
of the Millennium. It clearly points out public worship. 
It also shows that it will be repeated from time to time ; and 
that all the world will be united in observing the same peri- 
odical seasons of worship. It is also explicitly said, that 
this public worship of Jehovah shall be performed from one 
sabbath to another. 

But it will be objected, That it is also said, that it will be 
from one new moon to another. The objector would argue, 
that since we do not from this prediction infer the continued 
observance of the new moon sabbath, neither ought we to 
infer the continued observance of the weekly sabbath. We 
acknowledge, that the continuance of Old Testament ordi- 
nances cannot be proved from the application of their distin- 
guishing names to the ordinances of the New Testament ; 
for the prophets made use of the things which then were, to 
express the things which were to come. The prediction 
which is now under our eye, proves at least, that in gospel 
days there would be stated and frequent seasons of publicly 
worshipping God, in which mankind would agree. My 
present object is not so much to disprove the continued 
observance of the new moon, as to prove that under the 
gospel dispensation, there is some stated time to be devoted 
to the worship of God. If any stated time is to be devoted 
to the exercises of religion, the weekly sabbath certainly has 
theirs* claim. This was instituted before all other times ; 
even before the revolt of man. And this was distinguished 
from all the rest, by being spoken by the living God in the 



82 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

audience of the chosen people, and written with his own 
finger in the midst of the moral law. If among all the holy- 
seasons enjoined on the Jewish church, any one has come 
down to the Christian church, I think there can be no man- 
ner of doubt but it must be that which was first enjoined on 
the human race, before the Jews existed ; and which, after 
their existence, was revealed to them in such a way as to 
mark its pre-eminence above all the rest. 

In connection with the predictions of stated and periodi- 
cal seasons of worship, to be observed by all who should 
embrace the gospel, it will be proper to notice, that the piety 
of gospel converts is foretold by their strict and conscien- 
tious observance of the sabbath. "Also the sons of the 
stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him — 
every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and 
taketh hold of my covenant ;" Isa. lvi. 6. How could the 
prophet speak of the piety of Gentile converts in gospel 
days, as manifesting itself by keeping the sabbath from pol- 
luting it, if no sabbath was to exist in gospel times? 

5. The same reasons exist for the perpetuity of the sab- 
bath, as for its being instituted: and no reasons exist for 
its discontinuance. One reason given for the institution of 
a weekly sabbath, is the need of a resting day. This is 
mentioned, Deut. v. 14 ; " That thy man-servant and thy 
maidservant may rest as well as thouP All will see in a 
moment, that as far as this is a reason in favor of the insti- 
tution, it operates equally in favor of its continuance. 

Another design of the institution of the sabbath, was to 
be a weekly remembrancer of our depen dance on God, for 
our existence, and for all our possessions. The weekly 
rest is a standing memorial of the Mosaic account of the 
creation ; and the careful observance of this holy day, is a 
repeated acknowledgment that we give credit to this account. 
And though the holy rest is now changed to another day, 
to be a memorial of a still more important work than that 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 83 

of creation, it does not cease to answer its first design, 
namely, to remind us, that in six days God created the 
heavens and the earth, and all the host of them. 

A third reason for the continuance of the sabbath, is its 
necessity for the preservation of public worship, and giving 
opportunity for religious instruction. The scriptures make 
it our duty to worship, not only every one in his closet, and 
every family at home, but that congregations should assem- 
ble to offer up united prayers, confessions and thanksgiv- 
ings to the common Parent of us all. " I will pay my vows 
unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people ; in 
the courts of the Lord's house." Public worship is greatly 
for the honor of God. It resembles heaven, where great 
multitudes unitedly adore and praise the Lord. Public 
worship is very improving to the piety and social harmony 
of those who heartily engage in it. But public worship 
cannot be attended, without a public day of worship. If 
God therefore designed that public worship should be kept 
up under the gospel, (and nothing can be more evident,) his 
wisdom would certainly lead him to appoint stated seasons 
for its observance. Religious instruction ought to be com- 
municated, more or less, every day ; but public instruction 
requires a particular day, as well as a place of assembling. 
The command to the gospel teacher, is, " Preach the word ; 
be instant in season ; out of season." This command sup- 
poses there are regular and stated seasons for preaching the 
word of God. In other words, it supposes a sabbath-day. 
If there were no day in the week which, by way of emi- 
nence, was a day of religion, religious instruction would 
probably be much more neglected even in families. God's 
design to perpetuate holy time to the end of the world, 
seems then nearly as evident as his design to preserve true 
religion from becoming extinct. For if it be so essential to 
the preservation of religion in the world, that time should 
be taken for public worship and preaching the word, it 



84 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

would never be left optional with us, whether to take this 
time, or not. And if He, who is the only Potentate, had 
not designated the very time to be devoted to public wor- 
ship and instruction, it would have been much the same, as 
leaving it to our judgment whether or not to take any time 
for these purposes. If, in opposition to this, it should be 
said ; ' That those Christian denominations, which do not 
believe that God has fixed upon any particular time to be 
devoted to religion, do nevertheless statedly attend on the 
duties of public worship ;' it may be accounted for in one or 
the other of these two ways. First. They may have some 
belief still remaining upon their minds, that the weekly 
sabbath is not done away. Secondly. If they do not be- 
lieve that God has fixed on this time, and obliged them to 
devote it to his worship, still the circumstance, that the 
greater part of the Christian world do believe it, and there- 
fore statedly observe it as holy time, suggests it to them as 
a time proper for them, also to meet together for religious 
purposes. For let it be remembered, that those religious 
denominations, and particular congregations, which do not 
believe that God has given the Christian church a holy 
day, observe the same as a day of public worship, (if they 
observe any) which ive observe, who believe that God has 
given a sabbath to the Christian, as well as to the Jewish 
church. If all Christian denominations were at once to 
disbelieve the divine obligation of observing holy time; and 
if they could, with this, forget that God's people ever were 
under such obligation, or that there ever was any particular 
day, or portion of time, set apart from secular to religions 
duties, is it to be expected that they would all agree among 
themselves, to observe one day every week, and that the 
same day V 

* To all these arguments in favor of the perpetuity of the weekly sabbath, it 
is objected that a different doctrine is taught, Gal. iv. 10, 11 : Col. ii. 16, 17; 
and Rom. xiv. 5. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 85 

Having attended to some arguments in favor of the per- 
petual obligation of observing a weekly sabbath^ I proceed, 

Secondly ; To suggest some arguments in favor of a 
change of the sabbath from the seventh to the first day of 
the week. 

If in the passage in the epistle to the Galatians, the Lord's day is included 
among the days which they are condemned for observing, it will follow, that it 
is wrong for us to observe it, or even to make it a stated season for public wor- 
ship. They who bring this text to prove the abrogation of the weekly sabbath, 
and to do away the moral obligation of Christians to keep any holy day, do 
nevertheless view it as an innocent thing to make a stated practice of meeting 
together on the first day of the week : But Paul says to those who observe 
days, " I am afraid of you." The church at Galatia was evidently much 
troubled, and not a little corrupted by Judaizing Christian teachers. These 
men were full of a Pharisaic spirit. They did not understanding^ embrace 
the Christian system ; nor did they discern the true intent of the ceremonial 
law, and the Jewish economy. If they had, it would have served as a school- 
master, to teach them the necessity of Christ, and its own insufficiency to save, 
When Paul heard, that his brethren of the Galatian church, who were not 
Jews but Gentiles, were, by the instruction of these mongrel Christian preach- 
ers, adopting the peculiar rites of the Jewish dispensation ; such as the obser- 
vance of those days, and months, and times, and years, which were a part of the 
law which had waxed old and vanished away ; he was afraid of them, lest he 
had bestowed labor upon them in vain. But do you think that this apostle, if 
he were now present, would be afraid of those Christian churches among us, 
which are the most careful in their sanctifying the weekly sabbath, lest gospel 
labor had been bestowed upon them in vain 1 We find at this day that those, 
who enter most fully into the scheme of salvation by grace alone, are, «t the 
same time, apt to be the strictest in their observance of the Lord's day. 

The passage in Col. ii. 16, 17, has also reference to these ceremonial obser- 
vances : " Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of 
an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath-days ; which are a shadow 
of things to come ; but the body is of Christ." In this connexion, Christ is 
said to have blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances, that was against us. 
But he did not surely blot out any thing which was written on the two tables 
of stone. There were many holy days, and sabbaths, (i. e. days and years of 
rest from secular business,) which the God of Israel enjoined on his people to 
observe, besides that weekly rest, or holy sabbath, which in the beginning he 
enjoined on Adam and all his sons. These sabbaths, being part of the ceremo- 
nial law, pointed to Christ and the privileges of gospel days. They were a 
shadow of which Christ was the body or substance. The apostle would not 
have any one judge and condemn these Christians, who held the Head — who 



86 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

1. The first argument, which I shall make use of to favor 
the change of the sabbath, will be drawn from what is said 
in the scriptures about the work of redemption's eclipsing 
the work of creation. It is said concerning Christ, that all 
things were made for him. The first creation, which was 

had embraced the substance, because they disused the shadows. If it can be 
proved, that the grand design of the weekly sabbath was to serve as a type of 
the coming of Christ, this would do much toward proving that it is now no 
longer obligatory. But this I conclude has not been proved. The Gentile 
converts did not observe the same day of the week as a sabbath, which had 
been observed by the Jews : nor did they eat of the paschal lamb, or practise 
the rite of circumcision : but they kept holy the first day of the week ; they 
ate of the Lord's supper, and used the initiating rite of baptism. For these 
differences they were judged and condemned by the unbelieving Jews, though 
they held themselves as sacredly bound to attend on those institutions, in their 
New Testament form, as the Jews had done to attend upon them under the 
form of the Old Testament dispensation. 

The passage in the 14th chapter of Romans, may perhaps, be thought more 
decisively to level all distinction of days in New Testament times : " One man 
esteemeth one day above another ; another esteemeth every day alike. Let 
every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." To understand what the 
apostle meant in this passage it is proper to attend to the scope of his argu- 
ment. In another place, speaking of the day of judgment, he says, Then shall 
every man have praise of God. Yet this same apostle abundantly teaches, that 
many men will at that solemn and decisive day be condemned of God, and have 
tribulation and anguish ; that the wrath of God will come on them, and that 
they will reap corruption. " Every man who is to have praise of God," must 
mean every good man : It was of such men the apostle was speaking. So in 
the passage now before us, he is not speaking of all days, but of all ceremo- 
nial days. In the same argument, he says, " For one believeth that he may 
eat all things : another who is weak eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth 
despise him that eateth not." There was no Christian who did not eat; there 
was none but that believed he had a right to eat something besides herbs ; for 
the Creator had most expressly given man liberty to eat flesh : But in the 
Levitical law he had restricted him to certain animals. Among the primitive 
converts the dispute must have been about eating of the animals, which by that 
law were considered unclean. Some whose faith, and whose insight into 
Christianity, were weak, would sooner confine themselves to bread and vegeta- 
bles, than to eat of the meats which they esteemed as unclean. As the dispute 
was not about all meats, so it was not about all days : It was only about the 
days distinguished by the ceremonial law. Some still viewed the new moon, 
the feast of passover, the pentecost, the day of atonement, &c. as holy days — 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 87 

finished in six days, is considered as the scaffolding, and 
the church as the temple which is to abide for ever. In 
Isa. lxv. 17, 18, it is said, " For behold I create new hea- 
vens, and a new earth ; and the former shall not be remem- 
bered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice 
for ever in that which I create : for behold, I create Jerusa- 
lem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." Here are two cre- 
ations brought into view. The first is that of which we 
have an account in the beginning of the Bible. It was fin- 
ished in six days, and on the seventh day God rested from 
his work, and therefore blessed the day, and sanctified it. 
The other creation mentioned in this passage, is called Jeru- 
salem and her people. It is Jerusalem which is above, 
which is the mother of all the children of God. This new 
and spiritual creation, the church of Christ, is spoken of as 
far surpassing the first in beauty and glory. In comparison 
to the new creation, the first will not be worthy to be re- 
membered or come into mind. This prophetic account of 
the superior excellency of the new creation, very naturally 
suggests the idea of changing the day of rest, so as would 
be calculated to present the new creation, that is, the work 
of redemption, in a more conspicuous point of view than 
the six days' creation. And this is evidently done by 
making the day, on which the Redeemer rested from his 
work of suffering and abasement, to be the Christian sab- 
bath. " There remain eth, therefore, a rest (a sabbatism) to 
the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he 
hath also ceased from his own works, as God did from his :" 
Heb. iv. 9, 10. As God ceased from the work of creating 
the world, and made a sabbatism; so Christ ceased from 
his work of suffering, to redeem the world, and he also 

as better than other days : others viewed these days as now reduced to a level 
with common days. But as the ceremonial law, at its first establishment; 
found one distinguish d day, one day which was better than the other, neither 
its institution, nor its abrogation could affect that day. 



88 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

made a sabbatism ; and both are an emblem of the rest, 
(i. e. of the keeping of a sabbath,) which remaineth to the 
people of God in the coming world. 

2. There are predictions in the Old Testament, which 
intimate a change of the sabbath. This is pretty clearly 
intimated, Psal. cxviii. 22 — 24. "The stone which the 
builders rejected is become the head stone of the corner. 
This is the Lord's doing, it is marvellous in our eyes. This 
is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and 
be glad in it." The New Testament scriptures make it cer- 
tain that this corner stone is Christ. He was in the most 
striking manner rejected of the Jewish builders, when they 
cried, "Away with him, crucify him, crucify him." And 
when he was declared to be the Son of God with power, by 
his resurrection from the dead, he did, in an eminent sense, 
become the head stone of the corner. " This? say the 
church, * is the day which the Lord hath made, we will re- 
joice and be glad in it." The event has explained this to 
mean, that Christians would make the day of Christ's resur- 
rection, their sabbath, in which to pray, and praise, and 
hear the word. A holy rejoicing, and not a frolicksome 
mirth, was predicted. It will be seen by Dr. Watts' version 
of this Psalm, that he viewed it as pointing out the resur- 
rection-day sabbath. 

u This is the day the Lord hath made, 
" He calls the hours his own ; 
" Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad, 
" And praise surround the throne." 

There seems to be a prediction of the change of the sab- 
bath, at the close of the 43d chapter of Ezekiel. "Seven 
days shall they purge the altar and purify it, and they shall 
consecrate themselves. And when these days are expired, 
it shall be that upon the eighth day and so forward, the 
priests shall make your burnt-offerings upon the altar, and 
your peace-offerings." It is generally agreed that these last 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 89 

chapters of Ezekiel refer to gospel days, and ultimately to 
the days of the Millennium. Gospel worship is predicted 
under the emblems of the ceremonial dispensation. But we 
are not to understand the predicted worship itself as typical, 
though the altar, and the burnt-offerings and peace-offer- 
ings, is the language of types. The New Testament has 
its ministers, and its altar which sanctifieth every gift offered 
upon it, and its offerings of prayer and praise. It must, 
therefore, have its days of offering up these acceptable sacri- 
fices. And the prediction, now under our eye, seems to 
intimate that it would be a different day from what had 
before been devoted to the special services of religion. It 
shall be that upon the eighth day, and so forward, the 
priests shall make your burnt -offerings upon the altar. The 
eighth day is the next after the seventh, and is therefore 
the same as the first day of the week ; the day upon which 
Christian " priests " minister at the altar : and thus it is to 
continue to the end of time. 

3. The first day of the week is in the New Testament 
called the Lord's day. It is so called, Rev. i. 10. " I was 
in the Spirit on the Lord's day? There can be no doubt 
but that the first day of the week is meant. This has been 
the name, which Christians have given to it from the com- 
mencement of the Christian era, and is as much the distin- 
guishing name of the first day of the week, as Monday and 
Tuesday, are of the second and third days. This is fully 
conceded by a writer of eminence, who nevertheless dis- 
putes divine authority for any sabbath under the Christian 
dispensation. He says,. " I make no doubt but that by the 
Lord's day was meant the first day of the week ; for we 
find no footsteps of any distinction of days, which could 
entitle any other to that appellation. The subsequent his- 
tory of Christianity corresponds with the accounts delivered 
on this subject in scripture." 

If this point is conceded, that theirs* day of the week is 
8* 



9U DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

what the apostle John means by the Lord's day, it will 
afford a strong argument in favor both of the perpetuity and 
change of the sabbath. What can be meant, by giving the 
appropriate name of Lord's day to a particular day of the 
week ? The name marks the day as His ; as the Lords 
supper, and the Lords house, distinguish the sacrament 
from a common supper ; and the temple or sanctuary from 
a common dwelling. Time is all the Lord's ; yet in Isaiah, 
fifty-eighth chapter, and thirteenth verse, we hear him chal- 
lenging a special property in a particular day, by calling it 
His day. " If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, 
from doing thy pleasure on my holy day." Why does he 
say concerning the sabbath, it is my day, only to point it 
out as a day separated from common, to religious purposes, 
and consecrated by his own appointment to his immediate 
service? And why, in the inspired writings of the New 
Testament, do we read of the Lords day, if there be no 
day now set apart for the same holy purposes, and by the 
same divine authority 7 And this appropriate name being 
transferred from the seventh to the first day, proves, that 
the first day of the week, and not the seventh, is now the 
holy day ; and that it is to be observed as the weekly sab- 
bath. There may be some Christian readers who never 
thought that this name of Lords day, given in the New 
Testament to the first day of the week, did any thing to- 
wards determining their obligation to keep it holy to the 
Lord, or to pointing out its particular duties, any more than 
that the names of the other days of the week determine the 
particular duties belonging to them. But I am sure they 
will think otherwise, when they have duly examined this 
significant name. 

4. A change of the day of keeping the sabbath, may be 
argued from the apostolic practice, that is, the practice of 
the apostles themselves, and the cotemporary practice of the 
churches which they planted. They evidently distinguish- 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 91 

ed the first day of the week as a day of assembling, and of 
attending on Christian ordinances. In the Acts of the Apos- 
tles, chap. xx. verses 6, 7, we have this account : " And we 
came unto them to Troas in five days, where we abode 
seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the 
disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto 
them." As Paul was at Troas a full week, he was there on 
the seventh day sabbath, but there is no mention made of 
their meeting on that day for public worship, for preaching, 
and the breaking of bread ; but when the first day arrived, 
the disciples met for these purposes. When the apostles 
preached to the unconverted Jews, they met with them on 
their own day. They watched every time and opportunity, 
to make known to them the mystery of the Gospel. But 
when they were with churches of converted disciples, they 
distinguished the first day, as the day of meeting together 
for the purposes of religion. That the first day of the week 
was thus generally distinguished among the primitive 
churches, may be learned from 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2 : " Now con- 
cerning the collection for the saints^ as I have given orders 
to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first 
day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, 
as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings 
when I come." From this it appears, that in the church of 
Corinth, and the churches of Galatia, and in fine, in Chris- 
tian churches in general, the first day of the week was dis- 
tinguished as a day of religious meeting, and would there- 
fore be a suitable day for a charitable contribution. If the 
arguments which have been brought to prove that there 
now exists a sabbath, do actually prove it ; I think there is 
light enough from the apostolic practice to make it evident, 
that the first day of the week is that sabbath, 

5. The practice of the Christian church since the days 
of the apostles, affords an argument of considerable weight 
in favor of the change of the sabbath. It is evident from 



92 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

the history of the Christian church, that she has all along 
had her holy day, her day for attending to the word and 
worship of God ; and also that this day has been the first, 
and not the seventh day of the week. This has been the 
day observed, not only by the corrupt church of Rome, but 
by all the protestant churches, with very few exceptions. 
Now it is very difficult to account for this, on the ground, 
that the seventh day is still the divinely appointed sabbath. 
It is difficult to see how the Christians should all make a 
mistake about the particular day to be kept holy. It is not 
so strange that there should be a mistake about some cir- 
cumstance, such as the time of beginning the day. It is 
also difficult to believe, that the King of Zion would suffer 
almost his whole church, in times of primitive purity, as 
well as times of apostacy ; and also in times of reformation, 
to mistake the very day which he had appointed for the 
sabbath. This at least, in connexion with other things, 
furnishes a presumptive proof of divine authority for the 
change of the day. 

6. The transfer of the blessing from the seventh to the 
first day, shows that this is now the hallowed day. " God 
blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." If it can be 
made to appear, that God now makes the first day eminently 
the day of blessing, it will be a strong proof that he has 
sanctified it; or made it the holy day. I have already 
quoted a passage from the 43d chapter of Ezekiel, which 
predicts, that under the gospel, the priests (i.e. the ministers 
of Christ) should make their offerings thence forward on the 
eighth day ; which must mean the same as the first day of 
the week. In connexion with this new day of making their 
offerings, it is said, " And I will accept you, saith the Lord 
God." It is implied, not only that God would accept of the 
offerings, but also of the new sabbath, on which these offer- 
ings would in time to come be made. 

It was on the first day of the week, even the very day on 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 93 

which the Savior arose from the dead, that he made the 
hearts of the two disciples bum within them, by opening 
their understandings to understand the scriptures. This 
was properly the first Christian sabbath, (though it is proba- 
ble that the disciples did not yet understand the change which 
was to take place ;) and that sweet communion which the 
Savior granted to these disciples, and that increasing know- 
ledge of the scriptures which he afforded them, was no doubt 
designed as a specimen of the blessing which he would 
henceforth put upon that day. " The same day at evening, 
being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, 
where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, 
came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, 
Peace be unto you." John xx. 19. This was a blessed 
sabbath evening ; the risen Savior was in the midst of them 
speaking words of peace.* 

The Pentecost fell on this day of the week, as will appear 
by reverting to Levit. xxiii. 15, 16. The first Pentecost 
after the resurrection of Christ, was surely a day blessed of 
the Lord. It was a day in which he stood by Peter, bidding 
him to cast his net on the right side of the ship ; and made 
him a most successful fisher of men. How many thousands 
of souls, since that day, have been pricked in the heart on 
the Christian sabbath ! And to how many has this been 
a spiritual birth-day ! "When the history of the work of 
redemption shall be fully disclosed, it will no doubt strikingly 

* Those Christians, who believe that the holy day begins and ends at the 
setting of the sun, do notwithstanding frequently devote the evening which 
succeeds the day to devotional exercises in a social manner, in which they often 
find that Christ is with them. And though they do not consider this evening 
as a part of the twenty- four hours, which constitute the Lord's day ; still it 
grieves them to see thia evening, which immediately succeeds the day of prayer, 
made peculiar by mirth and levity, which are striking indications that the sab- 
bath, with all its solemn services, has made no deep and lasting impression 
upon the hearts, of eseatures bound to eternity. 



94 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

appear, that this is the day which the Lord hath blessed 
and honored, as a harvest day for souls. 

It was on the Lord's day, that the beloved disciple was in 
the Spirit. Peculiar manifestations were made to him on 
this day, and the probable reason why that day of the week 
is particularized on which he had these revelations made to 
him, is, to put honor on the day. The saints have com- 
munion with God on other days ; but they are apt to look 
forward to the Lord's day, as a peculiarly blessed day. By 
their own experience they have learned, that it is good for 
them to keep it holy to the Lord : and that when they keep 
it most agreeably to the requirement contained in the fourth 
command, it is then the most blessed. 

Another argument in favor of the holiness of the Chris- 
tian sabbath* "may be drawn from the evils which have 
been connected with a profanation of it. This day has been 
greatly profaned, and vice and iniquity in general have been 
manifestly fostered, and brought to a greater height by its 
profanation. It was noticed by Judge Hale, of England, 
that among the many criminals which were convicted of 
capital crimes while he was Judge, he found few but that, 
upon inquiry, would confess that they began their career of 
wickedness, by a loose conduct on the Lord's day. Although 
such miraculous manifestations of God's displeasure are not 
to be looked for, as were common during the days of inspi- 
ration ; yet wise observers, in our own days, have noticed 
some pretty signal manifestations of God's displeasure against 
those, who have greatly polluted the Christian sabbath: 
and they have noticed his frowns on themselves for their 
own deviations from a conscientious hallowing of this day, 
which is called the Lord's. 

But to all which has been offered in favor of a change of 
the day, it will perhaps be objected ; That the command- 
ment says, " But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord 
thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work." To this objec- 



DISCOURSES ON THE SAEBATH. 95 

tion it may be replied : That to worship God is a part of the 
moral law. To take time from other services, to devote im- 
mediately to this worship, is also morally binding. While 
in this world, where a part of time must necessarily be de- 
voted to secular employments, it is morally and perpetually 
binding on us, to sanctify a seventh part of time ; for this is 
required in the moral law. The change of the day to be 
observed, does not destroy the command ; for this applies, 
with equal force, to the day which the New Testament calls 
the Lord's Day. I know we should have no right, of our- 
selves, to make such an alteration as this : but the Lord of 
the sabbath could point out a new day to be observed, with- 
out repealing the original law. And we think the reasons 
which have been given are sufficient to lead to a conclusion, 
that He himself has made the change. The fourth com- 
mandment still has all its force : Six days we labor, and 
then we have one day of rest, which is holy to the Lord. 
These holy days come in the same regular succession, as 
under the law. It is true, that now they are designed, not 
only to remind us of the work of creation, but of the still 
more wonderful and glorious work of redemption. Surely 
there is nothing in such a change as this, that looks like an 
annihilation of the commandment. The ten command- 
ments, delivered from Mount Sinai, are all of them still 
binding upon the children of men. And the Savior says, 
" If ye love me, keep my commandments." 



96 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 



FIFTH DISCOURSE. 

John v. 39. 
Search the Scriptures.- 

A review of the scripture testimony concerning the sab- 
bath, will suggest some remarks and reflections. 

I. 'The weekly sabbath holds a very conspicuous place 
in the scriptures. We find it upon the fhst page of the 
Bible. We find it in the midst of the decalogue. We find 
it spread through both Testaments. The texts which have 
been introduced and remarked upon, in the preceding dis- 
courses, are not a few. If placed one after the other in 
continued order, they would be enough to make several 
chapters. Would all this be, in a book which was written 
by holy men, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, if the 
sabbath were an unimportant institution ; or if it were un- 
important in comparison with other things? Where there 
is " precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon 
line, line upon line, here a little and there a little," concern 
ino- any institution, it is evident, that such institution is 
considered to be of great importance. We infer the impor- 
tance of the subject from the frequent mention made of it 
in the scriptures ; and also from the great solemnity with 
which it is mentioned. The sanctification of the sabbath 
is strongly enforced, and the profanation of it most severely 
threatened. 

If God has scattered instruction concerning his holy day 
through the whole sacred volume, then it must be a subject 
worth engaging the attention of all those to whom the word 
of God comes. Let us on this point imitate the Jews of 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 97 

Berea, who searched the scriptures daily, to see whether 
the things which they heard were so. If any think it a 
matter of little or no consequence, they will not be much 
engaged to inquire what God has revealed concerning it. 

II. It is important to remark, that there are two errors 
concerning the sabbath, both of which have a dangerous 
and pernicious tendency. One of these errors consists in 
making the sabbath a mere carcass, without spirit and life : 
the other error consists in depriving it wholly of its body, 
the external part, under pretence of great regard to the spir- 
ituality of it. The first of these was the error of the Phari- 
sees, who lived in the time of our Savior, They were 
a generation very destitute of true religion ; yet they ap- 
peared, in a certain way, to pay great attention to the obser- 
vance of the sabbath. They were perhaps in the sight of 
God as wicked as those, who, in the days of Jeremiah and 
Ezekiel, greatly polluted the sabbath by their loose prac- 
tices. But their wickedness, as it respected the sabbath and 
many other religious observances, ran in quite a different 
channel. They adhered to the external of the command- 
ment, and were even unnecessarily scrupulous in some 
things ; but the external of it was all which they regarded. 
And this they did to establish their own righteousness, not 
submitting themselves to the righteousness of God. 

The opposite error, of spiritualizing avmy the external 
of the commandment, is no less dangerous ; and it may be 
done by those, who possess substantially the same character 
with the scribes and Pharisees. They will boastingly say, 
" We are no Pharisees ;" when God, who seeth their hearts, 
beholds them disregarding the letter of his precept, from a 
vain conceit of a high regard to the spirit of it. They 
may say, "We have the spirit of the sabbath, and you 
have the letter: — We have the sabbath within, and you 
have it without : — We keep sabbath every day, and you 
have it but once a week? Let these claims to peculiar spir- 
9 



98 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

ituality be canvassed. The letter or body, without the 
spirit, we acknowledge is dead ; but a man is not a man 
complete without spirit and body too. God has made, and 
designs to perpetuate, both the spirit and body. So God has 
made the spirit and the letter of the sabbath ; and designs 
that both shall be regarded. It must be displeasing to him, 
to see one part made use of to oppose and destroy the other, 
when he regards them both. 

It has been said by those who oppose the external of the 
commandment, " We have the sabbath within, you have it 
without" In reply to this it may be asked ; How it is 
known that we, who have the sabbath without, have it not 
also within? Did not an apostle say, "Show me thy faith 
without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my 
works?" What works are so proper to show an inward 
regard to the sabbath, as refraining from all those things 
forbidden to be done on that day, and performing the duties 
required? Is it a suitable way to manifest that God's law 
is in our heart, by avoiding it in our practice ? 

But, say our opponents, "We keep sabbath every day, 
and you have it but once a week" What is meant by this? 
Does this mean that they have love to God, and other 
holy affections and meditations all the week? It is in a 
figurative sense only, that this can be called a continual 
sabbath. In the paradisaic state, there was nothing but 
such holy affections continually, and yet there was but one 
sabbath-day in the week. In the ten commandments we 
are required to love the Lord our God with all our heart, 
and that perpetually every day in the week ; and yet in 
those commandments we are required to keep but one day 
in the week holy to the Lord. All the holy affections, 
which can exist in the heart, will not of themselves con- 
stitute a sanctification of the sabbath. Keeping the sabbath 
is a particular way of manifesting love to God: if this 
particular way is not taken, the commandment is not 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 99 

obeyed. It is so with the other commandments. The first 
commandment requires, that the living and true God should 
be the supreme object of love. The second commandment 
forbids the making of images, and bowing down to them 
as though they were gods. Now let me ask, Can this com- 
mand be inwardly obeyed, and outwardly disobeyed ? Can 
the outward part be disregarded from love to the spirit of 
the commandment? If so, then papists, and even pagans, 
give evidence of being more spiritual than any denomina- 
tion of protestant Christians, who are all so scrupulous as 
to attend to the external of the commandment. But let us 
proceed : Did any one ever suppose, that profane swearers 
and blasphemers gave peculiar evidence of love to the spirit 
of the third commandment, because they pay such little 
attention to the external of it? Or has any one supposed, 
that there was any way of keeping the third commandment, 
short of taking heed to our lips, as well as to our hearts, 
that they do not pollute the holy name of Jehovah ? The 
fourth commandment, as distinguished from the others, does 
not consist in any particular frame or state of the heart ; 
but in a peculiar manner of spending one particular, spe- 
cified day of the week. Now, to call all the days of the 
week sabbath-days, is. instead of honoring the command- 
ment, annihilating it. 

Let this rule of spiritualizing away the letter of the com- 
mandment, be applied to the second table of the law, and 
what work it will make. It will make, as to externals, dis- 
obedient children, murderers, adulterers, thieves, and false 
witnesses ; and yet all this be done under the cover of pecu- 
liar spirituality ! No obedience to the external of the com- 
mands ; but so much more spirit and life within ! This is 
soaring above dull formality, and a scrupulous attention to 
the letter of the commands ! 

This would be Antinomianism, carried to its full length. 
There have been some, who were not ashamed to avow it 



100 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

in all these horrid consequences ; even as it respects the 
commands which relate to our duty to men. Yet the most, 
perhaps, would not be willing to follow it thus far; and still 
as it respects the sabbath, and other religious duties, the 
principle is adopted, of substituting the spirituality instead 
of the external observance. The scripture requires, that 
God should in all things be glorified ; that whatever we do, 
we should do it heartily to the Lord. This surely will 
apply to all religious institutions. Far be it from me to 
speak lightly of the spirituality of religious duties and ob- 
servances. Holy love and fervency of spirit are the life of 
the whole. Without these, the sabbath is not acceptably 
sanctified. To promote these, is an object of great moment. 
But I would that all might understand, that the way to pro- 
mote a spiritual observance of the sabbath, is not to destroy 
or undervalue an observance of the letter of the command- 
ment. The truth lies between resting in a strict external 
observance of the sabbath, on the one hand ; and a spiritu- 
alizing away of the external observance of it, on the other. 
The command has an outside and an inside ; to both we 
must pay careful attention, if we would please God. While 
neither the outside nor inside are to be trusted in as that 
righteousness in which a sinner is to be accepted before God. 
The typical ceremonies of the Old Testament are at an 
end. To revive them would not subserve the cause of 
truth ; as it would imply that we were still to look for their 
accomplishment in the coming and work of the Redeemer. 
But though the typical ceremonies are at an end, it does not 
follow, that all external religious observances are done 
away. The weekly sabbath, prayer, preaching the gospel, 
singing psalms and hymns of praise, and the administration 
of the sacraments, are to be observed in these gospel days, 
in which it is our happy lot to live. These all have an 
outside to them ; and it is of the greatest consequence to 
the well-being (if not to the very existence) of Christianity, 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 101 

that the outside should not be treated with neglect. Prayer 
is the desire of the heart, offered up before God. Jesus 
taught us by precept and example, to take seaso?is for retired 
prayer. To the praise of Daniel it is spoken, that he statedly 
prayed three times a day. Stated family prayer is a duty 
of great importance. Husbands and wives are strictly 
charged to live together in such a manner, as that their 
prayers might not be hindered. We are to worship together, 
and to sing praises with the spirit, and with the under- 
standing. We are not only to believe, but we are to be 
baptized. We are not only to eat Christ's flesh and drink 
his blood by faith ; but we are to eat of the bread and drink 
of the cup, which show forth the Lord's death until he 
come. Christ appointed men to preach the Gospel and ad- 
minister the sacraments ; who were to commit their office 
to others, that in this way the church might never be 
without her teachers, who should be distinguished from 
their brethren, by being solemnly and publicly set apart to 
the work of the ministry. If all the divine ordinances and 
institutions are kept up, without being kindled by the fire of 
inward devotion, they are like the body without the soul. 
The devotion of the heart is indispensable. But let us 
suppose all the ordinances to be laid aside ; and would not 
Christianity appear quite another thing from what it appears 
in the New Testament 7 These external ordinances are the 
means of expressing, and also of improving, the devotion of 
the heart. When the external observance of one of these 
ordinances is levelled at, it is apt to prove a sweeping stroke, 
to destroy all the rest. I have therefore brought them into 
view in this connexion ; that it may be seen what will be 
the consequence of giving up one. If you give up the sab- 
bath, and are content with having no holy time, only when 
you shall happen to feel religiously disposed, you will give 
up the stated morning and evening devotions of the closet 
and of the family. You will next give up the sacraments 
9* 



102 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

of baptism and the Lord's supper; and then the stated 
ministry of the word will appear too formal. This will be 
making the frames of our heart, and not the command of 
God, the rule by which to regulate our practice. It ought 
to be remembered, that the commands of God were made 
before we were born. They are right, and fit in themselves^ 
and are not at all dependent for their rectitude on our dispo- 
sition to obey. They detect our errors ; they show us what 
we should have done in time past ; and what we ought to 
do in time to come. A perfect conformity to these divine 
rules, in feelings and practice, is the mark towards which 
we are incessantly to press. Let it be kept in mind, that 
the Lord hath hallowed his sabbath, whether we keep it 
holy or not. And our indisposition to keep it holy, will not 
induce him to repeal the law of the sabbath, and thus reduce 
it to common time. 

III. We remark, that in view of the light reflected on 
the sabbath, by the various scriptures which speak of it, 
there is no great difficulty for the candid inquirer, to find 
out what is meant by sanctifying, and what by profaning 
it. Every exercise proper for the sabbath is not particu- 
larized ; nor is every thing which is a breach of it; but so 
many things are particularized of both sorts, that the rest 
may be learned from their resemblance to these. Examples 
are given us in the Bible, both of the sanctification, and of 
the profanation of the Lord's day. These aie valuable, as 
they are the judgments or decisions of the Lawgiver himself; 
from whose judgment there is no appeal. We have the de- 
cision of God himself on the case of gathering manna ; also 
on the case of gathering sticks, or wood, on the sabbath-day. 
We have the judgment of the Lawgiver on the case of bring- 
ing things to, or carrying them from, market ; and all other 
bearing of burdens on the sabbath. The Lord, in explaining 
his own requirement, teaches us, that on the sabbath we are to 
rest from labor, even in the season of harvest ; that we are not 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 103 

to do our own ways, find our own pleasure, or speak our 
own words. He teaches us, that the sabbath is to be a day 
for a holy convocation or meeting together for the duties of 
religion. 

God is in all things to be glorified, even in the labor, bu- 
siness and recreation of the six days ; and nothing is to be 
done on any of these days, which does not have a tendency 
to bring glory to God. But in the concerns of this life, 
the more immediate object is to provide for ourselves tem- 
poral conveniences : but in the duties of religion, the direct 
and most immediate object is, to honor God, and seek to 
possess, and cultivate in ourselves and others that spirit and 
temper, which will make us resemble our Creator, and pre- 
pare us for heaven. The Bible sabbath, it is evident, is 
not a day for acquiring property, or for acquiring scientific 
or political information. Divinity, in its different branch- 
es, is the only study of the holy day, not only for divines, 
but also for philosophers and statesmen ; husbandmen and 
mechanics ; masters and servants ; parents and children. 
Books, which are not irreligious, are not admissible to be 
read on the sabbath, unless they expressly treat on the sub- 
ject of religion. If this case is no where in the Bible 
decided by itself, it is evidently included under the direction, 
not to speak our own words. Our eagerness for the news, 
should not tempt us to read a newspaper on the Lord's day. 
If a letter fall into our hands on the sabbath, which is sup- 
posed to be a letter of business, it is evidently our duty to 
defer the reading of it until the sabbath is ended. If such 
a letter ought not to be read on the sabbath, certainly it 
ought not to be written on that day. If any should say, 
This is to be too particular ; I ask, Is it going beyond the 
spirit of the Bible ? " Say I these things as a man ; or saith 
not the law the same?" Does not God, in the holy scrip- 
tures, say that you shall not speak your own words on his 
day ? and is it not equally a profanation of his day, to write 



104 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

your own words, that is, words relating to the concerns of 
this life? I wish it to be kept in mind, that I am still ad- 
dressing myself, not to infidels, but to those who believe in 
the divinity of the scriptures ; and surely these must see 
the correctness of our reasoning. 

"The Holy of the Lord," is inscribed on the weekly 
sabbath throughout all generations. Let this inscription be 
read and understood, and we shall know what is meant by 
keeping the sabbath from polluting it. If any man will do 
the will of God, with respect to hallowing the sabbath, 
there is so much instruction afforded him in the Bible, that 
he will not often be at a loss what should be done, and what 
should be avoided, on this hallowed day. 

IV. A review of the several scripture passages, which 
have been commented upon in the foregoing discourses, 
compared with the practice of those nations whom God has 
favored with the scriptures, will reflect light upon the pres- 
ent dispensations of Providence towards these favored na- 
tions. God has arisen to shake terribly the earth. The 
whole earth is disquieted ; but it is Christendom, on which 
the vials of divine wrath are more especially poured out. 
It is where the sabbath is made known, and where it is 
greatly polluted. Not that this is the only sin of Christian 
nations ; for it is never found alone. But from searching 
the scriptures on this particular point, we have here found 
enough to alarm the fears of all, who believe that the decla- 
rations of scripture express the feelings and purposes of the 
Divine mind. When in the days of king Josiah, the book 
of the law, which had been lost, was found, and read in his 
hearing, he rent his clothes, and sent his servants to the 
prophetess, saying, "Go ye inquire of the Lord for me, and 
for the people, and for all Judah. concerning the words of 
this book that is found : for great is the wrath of the Lord 
that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not 
hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according to 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 105 

all that which is written concerning us." (2 Kings, xxii.) 
If we had as much belief of Divine truth, and as much 
tenderness of heart, as this good prince of Judah, would not 
the words of God's book, which have been read in our 
hearing, make us tremble for ourselves, and for our country? 
Should we not say, " For great is the wrath of the Lord 
that is kindled against us, because we have not hearkened 
unto the words of this book." It was threatened to Israel, 
that if they did not let their land rest on the sabbaths which 
God had instituted, he would send them out of their land, 
that it might enjoy its sabbaths. Nehemiah tells those, 
whom he found encroaching upon the sabbath, that by this 
they were bringing wrath upon Israel. By the prophet 
Jeremiah, the Lord denounces destruction on Jerusalem, in 
case the people would not hearken to him, to hallow the 
sabbath-day. And now let us ask, Were these threatenings 
empty words ? Did not the event prove that they were the 
words of the God of truth ? The holy sabbath is now 
made known to us, and our obligation to keep it holy to 
the Lord, is certainly no less than theirs. The threatenings 
which were first delivered to Israel, are now transmitted to 
us, and belong to us as much as they did to them, if we 
follow in their steps, by treading God's holy day under our 
feet. And, my brethren, have we not done it, and that 
abundantly? I will not say, that we cannot become any 
more corrupt in this particular. We would, with gratitude, 
acknowledge that there are very many in our land, who do, 
in a greater or less degree, respect the sabbath, and divine 
institutions, (and those who reverence the sabbath and the 
sanctuary are the bulwark of the nation ;) but still there 
is not a sabbath which comes and passes away, but there is 
an immense accumulation of the guilt of our nation, by the 
most evident and open contempt poured on that reasonable 
and excellent Divine command, " Remember the sabbath- 
day, to keep it holy." They who make the Bible the man 



106 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

of their counsel, whatever may be their political sentiments, 
are more afraid of God's righteous judgments than of the 
greatest potentate on earth. And they know, that it is the 
wickedness of a nation which draws down these judgments. 
They believe, that if the ways of a nation were to please 
the Lord, he would make their enemies to be at peace with 
them. When therefore they see iniquity abounding, and 
coming in like a flood ; when they notice that the proud 
are called happy, and they who work wickedness are set 
up ; when, among other things, they see the sabbath of the 
Lord is greatly polluted, they are more distressed, not only 
as the honor of God, but as the well-being of their country 
is concerned, than though an army of barbarians, or of dis- 
ciplined troops, were marching against them, with an intent 
to destroy them. They know, that if the Almighty is their 
friend, there are more for them than against them ; but if 
His indignation is stirred up against them, none can help 
them. " When He giveth quietness, who then can make 
trouble? and when He hideth His face, who then can be- 
hold Him? whether it be done against a nation, or against 
a man only." 

In these days, distinguished by abounding iniquity, and 
by the righteous judgments of Heaven, the Lord of Sabba- 
oth hath left us a remnant according to the election of grace. 
These are no doubt to be found in both of the two great 
political divisions in these States. These all unite in pray- 
ing for the peace and prosperity of the nation. To obtain 
so desirable an end, they most earnestly pray for the out- 
pouring of the Holy Spirit, and for a thorough and exten- 
sive diffusion of the spirit of Christianity. They would 
expect more from a religious reformation, an effectual turn- 
ing from every false way unto the living God, than from 
any change which could take place in the political opinions 
and practice of the nation. They know that any political 
change, which should leave us trampling under foot divine 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 107 

institutions, and serving diverse lusts, would not remove the 
controversy which the Most High has with us. 

Those who regard the operation of the Divine hand, are 
greatly pained at the growing profanation of the sabbath. 
They are grieved that the general government, or its public 
functionaries, should not remember, that one day in the 
week is the Lord's day, when they make arrangements for 
carrying the mail, and transacting public business. They 
are convinced that nations, if they would have their ways 
please the Lord, should never make any laws or arrange- 
ments, to contravene the laws of God ; but that nationally, 
as well as individually, they should acknowledge their in- 
feriority to HIM.* 

* If the Constitution of the United States was purposely so framed that 
Congress should have no right to pass any law to regulate religion, surely it 
was not purposely so framed as to oppose religion ; unless it were framed by 
downright ivfidels. If the Constitution does not require Congress to enforce 
the observance of the Christian sabbath, surely it cannot require them to be 
ignorant of the day ; and to be ignorant of this, that He, who is higher than 
the highest, has commanded the observance of it. Surely the Constitution 
ought not so to be interpreted, (unless it be, in the highest sense, an infidel 
Constitution,) as to make it the duty of the General Government, to treat the 
Lard's day as though it were not. But let me ask, Is not the Lord's day pros- 
trated in the dust, (as far as one thing can do it.) by the arrangements which 
are made for carrying the public mail 1 Hundreds of men are employed every 
sabbath in riding to carry the mail, and postmasters without number, in open- 
ing and closing the mail ; while hosts of those, who are peculiarly fond to tell 
or hear some new thing, stand waiting for the key to be turned, which shall 
unlock to them things new and rare. Another evil is connected with carrying 
the mail on the sabbath — it is this ; That the mail is commonly carried by a 
stage-driver. He claims to be the servant of the General Government ; they 
have bid him proceed on his way on sabbaths, as well as other days ; — and this 
makes a covert for all his load of passengers. Thus, is the holy sabbath, by 
this arrangement, greatly polluted. "We have been in a state of profound 
peace for more than twenty years since the establishment of the Federal Gov- 
ernment. Has it been so important, that our newspapers and letters should 
jly to us ; or even that public papers should be so speedily forwarded, as to 
make carrying the mail a work of necessity for the sabbath 1 With the Bible 
open before us, dare we say, it is right? Do we believe that God approves of 



108 DISCOURSES OX THE SABBATH. 

Could these men who tremhle at God's word, be indulged 
the most free access to the first ruler of the nation, and to 
all in authority, in the general, and particular governments 
of these United States, they would anxiously entreat them 
not to forget, that it is the Supreme Ruler whose hand is 
lifted up over us ; and that he is chastening us for our impi- 
ety and disobedience. They would gladly draw the atten- 
tion of the whole nation to this consideration. If they 
could be heard by the whole nation, they would speak on 
this wise : 

'-'• Fellow Countrymen ! 

" We are not merely citizens of the United States ; we 
are also subjects of the moral government of the most high 
God. His laws are clearly revealed in the scriptures of 
truth, and they are laws which are good and righteous alto- 
gether. But we have walked contrary unto them ; and in 
doing so have dishonored his holy name, and done ourselves 
the greatest injury. We have disbelieved his word, taken 

it 1 Is God any less displeased because it is done by a nation ? or is he any 
less able to punish it 1 

Government, under the appearance of avoiding every thing oppressive in the 
things of religion, may greatly oppress the subjects. For example; If the 
legislature of this state should fix the sitting of the courts of justice upon a 
particular day of the month, without having any respect to the day of the v:eck, 
they would require the judges and jury, the plaintiff and defendant, the at- 
torneys and witnesses, to appear in court on the holy day, as it would some- 
times fall out, when many of these men actually believed that the God of 
heaven, who was to be their Judge, had required them to separate this day 
from all the business of this life to the more important concerns of his everlast- 
ing kingdom. Such a law therefore would to a people, possessing such a faith, 
be oppressive. From this, it appears absolutely necessary that those men, who 
make laws for a Christian nation, should have some knowledge of the Chris- 
tian scriptures, and of the laws and ordinances in which Christians feel them- 
selves bound to walk. This train of thought suggests to the mind what an 
undesirable qualification deism must be in the man, who is to make and 
administer the laws among a people who feel themselves bound to conform to 
the religion of the Son of God. 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 109 

his name in vain, 'profaned his sabbaths, and despised his 
holy things. We have been made proud by his multiplied 
favors, so that we have hardened our hearts against HIM, 
and against our fellow men. The works of the flesh are 
manifest in our land, some of which are these; "Adultery, 
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, 
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 
envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." 
Is it not the prevalence of these transgressions of the laws 
of God, which has caused him to whet his glittering sword, 
and with his hand to take hold on vengeance? And shall 
we even now, by our lightness under the scourge, and by 
persisting in sin, defy the Almighty to harm us ? Some of 
our fellow countrymen have fallen before the sword, and 
thousands have fallen before the pestilence ; and who can 
tell what a year will bring forth 1* These temporal suffer- 
ings, we should remember, are only a prelude to the more 
dreadful miseries, which will hereafter be endured by those 
who, being often reproved, have hardened their necks. Let 
us hearken to the advice given by the king of Nineveh to 
his subjects, at a time when destruction seemed to be at the 
door. He exhorted them to " cry mightily unto God, and 
to turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence 
that was in his hands :" for said he, " Who can tell if God 
will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, 
that we perish not ?" Some of you may say, These men 
are mad ; an enthusiastic brain has made them view every 
thing through a false medium : but those of you, who have 
searched the scriptures, will be constrained to say, that we 
speak the words of truth and soberness. If our Bibles were 
not laid out of sight, or our consciences dreadfully stupified, 
the single sin of a wanton 'profanation of the sabbath, 
would be sufficient to awake our fears of the divine anger 

* The United States were now engaged in a war with Great Britain. 
10 



110 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

and indignation. And this sin is only one among a thou- 
sand. " Come and let us return unto the Lord ; for he hath 
torn, and he will heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind 
us up." "But if ye will not hear, our soul shall weep in 
secret places for your pride." 

In such language as this, would the godly address their 
fellow countrymen of all ranks and political opinions, at this 
time of general calamity. Let it be remembered, that reli- 
gion is not a party spirit ; it is its nature to seek general 
good, and in this it wishes all to unite. It should be one 
consolation to the godly, that if they cannot communicate 
their feelings on these subjects to all the members of this 
extensive republic, they may with the utmost freedom pour 
out their hearts before God. They may confess their own 
sins, and the sins of the nation, before the mercy-seat. They 
may stand in the breach, by their fervent prayers, to turn 
away the wrath of the Lord from the land, which he has 
heretofore so greatly distinguished by his blessings. 

V. In view of the passages of scripture, which have been 
examined in the preceding discourses, it is very manifest, 
that there is much profaning of the sabbath by the visible 
church of Christ. No Christian, even the most enlightened 
and sanctified, can say that he is wholly free from this sin; 
yet there are many who are pretiy uniformly exemplary in 
their observance of the sabbath. Would to God it were so 
with all who have named the name of Christ ! But in the 
Christian church, it is to be feared, are found those who 
labor on the Lord's day ; those who trade ; those who travel ; 
those who devote the day to recreation ; those who read 
profane histories, novels and newspapers ; and those who 
speak their own words without any restraint ; and those 
who do not keep in their children and servants, and restrain 
them from openly polluting the day. Many professed Chris- 
tians take no heed about encroaching upon the first and last 
hours of the sabbath. In some churches more than others, 



DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. Ill 

these things abound. It becomes the churches to look into 
these things ; deeply to bewail their sinful backsliding^, and 
to set themselves, in the use of the discipline, which Christ 
has appointed, to purge his temple from these spiritual de- 
filements. The church of Christ is a city set on a hill, it 
cannot therefore be hid. If it be beautiful, its beauty will 
be seen ; if it be otherwise, it must be known. If we who 
profess to love God, do not love his day, and keep it in 
a holy and exemplary manner, we do more than others to 
bring it into contempt. May we see a reformation in this, 
as well as in other things, begin at the house of God ; and 
oh that it might not stop until it has pervaded the whole 
community ! 

VI. In attending to the Bible description of the sabbath, 
the mind is carried forward to the Millennium, to reflect 
with pleasure on the sabbath-day as it will then be sanctified. 
As there was a distinction between common, and holy time, 
in paradise ; so there will be in the time of Christ's spiritual 
reign on earth. The glory of this period will consist in 
the peculiar holiness of it. The holiness will be greater in 
degree, and more extensive in its spread, than in any former 
age of the world. " In that day," says the prophet, " shall 
there be upon the bells of the horses, Holiness unto the 
Lord ; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the 
bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem, and in 
Judah, shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts :" Zech. xiv. 
20, 21. By this prediction we are taught, how the glory of 
God will then be ultimately regarded in every thing, even 
in putting bells on the horses, and in dressing and eating 
the common meals of the family. But even then, there will 
be a distinction between a common, and a sacramental 
meal ; between a common washing, and Christian baptism, 
and between our days and the Lord's day. And no doubt 
the people of the Millennium will be as much more exem- 
plary than their predecessors, in their sanctification of the 



112 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

Lord's day, as they will be in their improvement of common 
time. Their eminent piety, will peculiarly prepare them to 
call the sabbath a delight, and the holy of the Lord honor- 
able. Their glowing zeal in the cause of religion, and sweet 
relish for the word and ordinances of God, will prepare them 
to welcome the holy day the first moment it arrives ; and 
will prevent them from saying, When will the sabbath be 
gone, that we may return to the profits and pleasures of the 
world ? Then " from one sabbath to another shall all flesh 
come to worship before the Lord." All nations will be dis- 
cipled. The face of the earth, which will then be covered 
with many hundreds of millions of inhabitants, will all be 
divided into religious societies, or congregations ; and each 
of these will build a sanctuary to the name of the Lord. 
These sanctuaries will every sabbath be crowded with 
solemn worshippers, and attentive hearers, who will be 
blessed with pious and faithful pastors. The Lord of the 
harvest will then send forth laborers into the harvest; and 
great shall be the company who will publish the glad 
tidings of the gospel. Then the table of the Lord will be 
surrounded with spiritual communicants, and none shall be 
found there who will render the table of the Lord contempt- 
ible ; for then the Lord's people shall all be righteous. 

In this blessed period, which is yet future, the sabbath 
will be sanctified in all their dwellings, as well as in the 
house of God. Every family-altar will smoke with the 
incense of prayer and praise. Every household will, on 
this day especially, be instructed into the things of the king- 
dom of God. The talk will not be vain or worldly ; but 
such as becomes the day which the Lord hath set apart for 
himself* The Holy Biele, with books of piety, will so 
engage their attention, that they will not need to read any 

* Intermission seasons will not then be a recess from religious duties, but 
only a change from public to private worship, and from public instruction to 
that taking sweet counsel together, which is one good improvement of the day, 



DISCOURSES OTST THE SARRATH. 113 

others, to prevent the day from being tedious. How greatly 
will the sabbath, when it shall be thus sanctified, promote 
the honor of God, and the good of mankind ! Our whole 
race will then appear like one family, acknowledging their 
Father in heaven. Our all uniting in the sanctification of 
the weekly sabbath, will be one of the most striking ways, 
in which the unity of the human family will be manifested. 
Men and women will be united in the sanctification of the 
Lord's day. Rich and poor; learned and unlearned ; kings 
and rulers, and their subjects ; parents and their children ; 
masters and their servants, will all unite in devoting the 
sabbath to religion. The husbandman will leave his plough, 
the mechanic his shop, the merchant his store, the attorney 
his office, and the traveller, wherever the sabbath shall over- 
take him, will suspend his journey. They are each pur- 
suing his own employment through the six days of labor ; 
but when that " sweet day of rest returns, which saw the 
Lord arise" they all become one in their employment. 
The infinitely important subject of religion is now, not only 
their ultimate end, but is the sole business of the day. And 
these truly sanctified sabbaths, will prepare them all to fill 
up their different stations, during the other days of the 
week, with duty and usefulness. 

The friends of piety will anticipate such a period with 
great pleasure. They, who have been grieved to see, how 
" the holy of the Lord" has been dishonored, will rejoice 
that this day is hereafter to be highly honored, and greatly 
and universally sanctified. They will also be reminded, 
that what the sabbath will be in the Millennium, such it 
ought to be now. And a reformation with respect to the 
sabbath, (which, depending on God, might easily be effected, 
if we were not heedless or stubborn,) would do much to 1 ard 
making the crooked things straight and the rough places 
smooth, that the way of the Lord might be prepared. 

To conclude: — Let the inspired passages which have 
10* 



114 DISCOURSES ON THE SABBATH. 

been introduced, and the explanations and remarks to which 
they have given rise, be impartially considered, and let them 
have due influence on our minds, and on our practice. If 
there is one day in the week, on which we are forbidden to 
do our own work, find our own pleasure, or speak our own 
words, it is of high importance that we should be acquainted 
with the prohibition. 

, The subject, my hearers, to which your attention has been 
called in this series of discourses, is a practical and interest- 
ing one; and I have endeavored to treat it in a plain, 
familiar, and solemn manner. I would now leave it upon 
your consciences, and commend it, and you, to the blessing 
of HIM, who spake from the burning mount, saying, Re- 
member the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. 

To HIM be paid the pure and growing worship of that 
Sabbath which shall never end, and of that Assembly which 
shall never break up ! Amen. 



APPENDIX. 



The following facts and observations, relating to the subject of the Sabbath, 
partly original and partly extracts, will not be uninteresting in connexion with 
the preceding work. 



In the spring of 1819, two gentlemen, who had resided at the 
south for a few months, wishing to return to the north, came to 
Charleston, S. C. with a view of taking a passage to New- York. 
The vessels were in the habit of setting sail on the sabbath. 
After waiting in vain to find one which would sail on some other 

day of the week, they applied to Capt. M of the brig Amelia, 

which was advertised to sail on the ensuing sabbath, to endeavor 
to prevail on him to sail a day or two sooner, or to wait till the 
next Monday. The application was made in vain — for, as he 
said, all his passengers were engaged, and all his arrangements 
were made, so that nothing could induce him to alter his plan. 

As one of the gentlemen was returning from church sabbath 
evening, he saw the brig lying at the wharf. He went on board, 
and saw only the steward of the vessel, a colored man ; to whom 
he said, "Steward, I thought you was to have sailed to-day?" 
He replied, " Massa, we v'e been trying all day to get out of the 
harbor, but could n't — Captain, and all the passengers, and pilot, 
are aboard, and we shall go as soon as it 's day-light in the morn- 
ing." The gentleman requested the steward to ask the captain, 
(who had retired to his berth,) if he would take another passen- 
ger. He returned with an affirmative answer. 

The gentleman was at the wharf with his baggage, early on 
Monday morning. The brig got under weigh at sunrise ; and in 
little more than an hour was over the bar and outside of the har- 
bor — and at ten o'clock A, M. was out of sight of land, on the 



116 APPENDIX. 

way to New-York. The voyage was a pleasant one, except that 
the gentleman alluded to was much annoyed on account of his 
religious principles, (and particularly that he would not sail out 
of port on the sabbath,) by a set of wicked passengers. 

The brig arrived in New-York on Saturday evening, much to 
the gratification of the gentleman, but greatly to the mortifica- 
tion of the other passengers, who had, on the voyage, declared 
that if the vessel did not arrive at New-York before Sunday, they 
would throw him overboard. The captain became convinced that 
his new passenger was right ; and actually charged him ten dol- 
lars less than he did the other passengers. 

Some time afterwards, the gentleman met him in New- York, 
and was rejoiced to learn that he was connected with a line of 
packets which did not sail out of port on the Lord's Day. 

In the month of October, 1820, the same gentleman was trav- 
elling from the state of Vermont to Rochester, N. Y. and other 
places. He had made an engagement to be at Clinton, near Uti- 
ca, on Saturday evening, in order to start from there with company, 
to Vermont, on Monday morning. Having been delayed, he rode 
the whole of one night, in order to reach Auburn, to go on from 
there on Saturday morning. He waited there till noon before the 
stage came in from the west. It was loaded with specie and four- 
teen passengers. No extra was obtained short of seven miles. 
Arriving there the load was divided, and they rode on till supper 
time, expecting to proceed to Utica after supper. But a vote was 
taken by the passengers and carried, to go no further till the next 
day, although several of the company strongly dissented from it. 
The gentleman above alluded to got into the stage and rode to the 
first village, Vernon, and there landed with his baggage, with a 
view of spending the sabbath where he could attend public wor- 
ship. Some of the passengers ridiculed him, that, after paying 
his passage, he should stop, a perfect stranger as he was, not 
knowing how he could go on. 

On returning from the church to the tavern, he recognized an 
old friend who took him to his house. It being a bright moon 
light night, this friend insisted on carrying him to Clinton, which 



APPENDIX. 117 

he did, free of expense ; and by this means enabled the gentleman 
to meet his friends in the morning, who would have gone on 
their journey had he not arrived. It may be remarked, that those 
stages did not arrive at Utica till sabbath afternoon ; and a cler- 
gyman in the company, who had engaged to preach at Utica that 
day, consequently did not arrive in season to fulfil his engagement. 

A conscientious christian man, — well known to the public, but 
now no more on earth, — was, from the nature of his business, 
abroad over the country a great portion of his time. He was 
truly a devoted disciple of Jesus. Ascending the Mississippi in 
one of the great steamers, he inquired of the captain on Saturday, if 
he was in the habit of stopping to keep the sabbath. To the ears of 
such a man, the question of course sounded very strange ; and upon 
his answering in the negative, " Well then," said the passenger, 
" you will please to set me on shore at the next landing-place." 
The captain remonstrated, assuring the good man that he might be 
left there a week without the opportunity of getting on. Nothing 
moved, however, when once his mind was made up, on a point of 
duty, he went on shore ; and at a poor neighborhood endeavored 
to do good and to keep the sabbath. It proved to him a happy 
day. He trusted in God, that some interposition in his behalf 
would take place ; and his confidence, — as it proved, — was not 
misplaced. After a refreshing sleep he arose early on Monday 
morning; and one of the first sounds which greeted his ear, was 
the bell of an ascending steamer, announcing her approach to the 
landing. 

In the year 1822, the British House of Commons appointed a 
committee to investigate the effects of laboring seven days in a 
week compared with those of laboring six, and resting one. They 
examined a large number of witnesses. Among them was Dr. 
Farre, of London, a celebrated physician of much experience. 
He says : 

" I have practised as a physician between thirty and forty years ; 
and during the early part of my life, as the physician of a public 
medical institution, I had the charge of the poor in one of the most 
populous districts of London. I have had occasion to observe the 



118 APrENDIX. 

observance and non-observance of the seventh day of rest during 
this time. I have been in the habit, during a great many years, 
of considering the uses of the sabbath, and of observing its abuses. 
The abuses are chiefly manifested in labor and dissipation. Its 
use, medically speaking, is that of a day of rest. As a day of 
rest, I view it as a day of compensation for the inadequate restora- 
tive power of the body under continued labor and excitement. A 
physician always has respect to the preservation of the restorative 
power ; because, if once this be lost, his healing office is at an end. 
A physician is anxious to preserve the balance of circulation, as ne- 
cessary to the restorative power of the body. The ordinary exer- 
tions of man run down the circulation every day of his life ; and 
the first general law of nature, by which God prevents man from 
destroying himself, is the alternating of day and night, that repose 
may succeed action. But, although the night apparently equal- 
izes the circulation, yet it does not sufficiently restore its balance 
for the attainment of a long life. Hence, one day in seven, by the 
bounty of Providence, is thrown in as a day of compensation, to 
perfect, by its repose, the animal system. You may easily deter- 
mine this question, as a matter of fact, by trying it on beasts of 
burden. Take that fine animal, the horse, and work him to the 
full extent of his powers every day in the week, or give him 
rest one day in seven, and you will soon perceive, by the superior 
vigor with which he performs his functions on the other six days, 
that this rest is necessary to his well-being. Man, possessing a 
superior nature, is borne along by the very vigor of his mind, so 
that the injury of continued diurnal exertion and excitement on his 
animal system, is not so immediately apparent as it is in the brute ; 
but, in the long run, he breaks down more suddenly ; it abridges 
the length of his life, and that vigor of his old age (as to mere ani- 
mal power) ought to be the object of his preservation. I consider, 
therefore, that, in the bountiful provision of Providence for the 
preservation of human life, the sabbatical appointment is not as it 
has been sometimes theologically viewed, simply a precept par- 
taking of the nature of a political institution, but that it is to be 
numbered amongst the natural duties, if the preservation of life 
be a duty, and the premature destruction of it a suicidal act. This 



APPENDIX. 1 19 

is said simply as a physician, and without reference at all to the 
theological question ; but if you consider further the proper effects 
of real Christianity, namely, peace of mind, confiding trust in 
God, and good-will to man, you will perceive in this source of re- 
newed vigor to the mind, and through the mind to the body, an 
additional spring of life imparted from this higher use of the sab- 
bath as a holy rest. Were I to pursue this part of the question, 
I should be touching on the duties committed to the clergy: but 
this will I say, — that researches in physiology, by the analogy of 
the working of Providence in nature, will show that the divine 
commandment is not to be considered as an arbitrary enactment, 
but as an appointment necessary to man. This is the position in 
which I would place it, as contradistinguished from precept and 
legislation ; I would point out the sabbatical rest as necessary to 
man, and that the great enemies of the sabbath, and consequently 
the enemies of man, are, all laborious exercises of the body or 
mind, and dissipation, which force the circulation on that day in 
which it should repose ; while relaxation from the ordinary cares 
of life, the enjoyment of this repose in the bosom of one's family, 
with the religious studies and duties which the day enjoins, — not 
one of which, if rightly exercised, tends to abridge life, — consti- 
tute the beneficial and appropriate service of the day. 

" I have found it essential to my own well-being, as a physician, 
to abridge my labor on the sabbath to what is actually necessary. 
I have frequently observed the premature death of medical men 
from continued exertion. In warm climates and in active service 
this is painfully apparent. I have advised the clergyman also, in 
lieu of his sabbath, to rest one day in the week ; it forms a con- 
tinual prescription of mine. I have seen many destroyed by their 
duties on that day ; and to preserve others, I have frequently sus- 
pended them, for a season, from the discharge of those duties. I 
would say, further, that, quitting the grosser evils of mere animal 
living from over-stimulation and undue exercise of body, the work- 
ing of the mind in one continued train of thought is destructive of 
life in the most distinguished class of society, and that senators 
themselves stand in need of reform in that particular. I have 
observed many of them destroyed by neglecting this economy of 



120 APPENDIX. 

life. Therefore, to all men, of whatever class, who must necessa- 
rily be occupied six days in the week, I would recommend to ab- 
stain on the seventh ; and, in the course of life, by giving to their 
bodies the repose, and to their minds the change of ideas, suited 
to the day, they would assuredly gain by it. In fact, by the in- 
creased vigor imparted, more mental work would be accomplished 
in their lives. A human being is so constituted that he needs a 
day of rest both from mental and bodily labor." 

Mr. Wilberforce says, " O what a blessed day is the sabbath, 
which allows us a precious interval wherein to pause, to come out 
from the thickets of worldly concerns, and give ourselves up to 
heavenly and spiritual objects. Observation and my own experience 
have convinced me that there is a special blessing on the right employ- 
ment of these bitervals. One of their prime objects, in my judg- 
ment, is to strengthen our impressions of invisible things, and to 
induce a habit of living much under their influence." " I can 
truly declare that to me the sabbath has been invaluable." When 
Wilberforce heard of the death of Lord Castlereagh, who came to 
an untimely end, he exclaimed, " Poor fellow ! He was certainly 
deranged — the effect, probably, of continued wear of mind. The 
strong impression on my mind is, that it is the effect of the non- 
observance of the sabbath : both as to abstracting from politics, and 
from the constant recurring of the same reflections, and as correct- 
ing the false views of worldly things and bringing them down to 
their true diminutiveness." 

Another British writer remarks, " We never knew a man work 
seven days in a week, who did not kill himself or kill his mind." 

A distinguished financier, charged with an immense amount of 
property during the great pecuniary pressure of 1836 and 1837, 
said, " I should have been a dead man, had it not been for tile 
sabbath. Obliged to work from morning till night, through the 
whole week, I felt on Saturday, as if I must have rest. It was 
like going into a dense fog. Every thing looked dark and 
gloomy, as if nothing could be saved. I dismissed all, and kept 
the sabbath in the good old way. On Monday it was all bright 
sunshine. I could see through, and I got through. But had 



APPENDIX. 121 

it not been for the sabbath, I have no doubt I should have been in 
the grave." 

Dr. Sewall, of Washington City, remarks, " For a number of 
years, I have been in close intimacy and intercourse with men in 
public life, officers of the government, and representatives in the 
national legislature, and eminent jurists, whose labors are gene- 
rally great, and whose duties are arduous and pressing. Some of 
them have considered it their privilege, as well as their duty, to 
suspend their public functions, while others have continued them 
to the going down of the sabbath sun. Upon the commencement 
of the secular week, the one class arise with all their powers invig- 
orated and refreshed, while the other come to their duties with 
body and mind jaded and out of tone. I have no hesitation in de- 
claring it as my opinion that, if the sabbath were universally ob- 
served, as a day of devotion and of rest from secular occupations, 
far more ivork of body and mind would be accomplished, and be better 
done ; more health would be enjoyed, toith more of wealth and inde- 
pendence, and ice should have far less of crime, and poverty, and 
suffering." 

Dr. J. P. Harrison says, " The sabbath was made for man. This 
truth is forcibly exemplified in the benefits conferred on the bodies 
of men by a proper observance of God's holy day of rest. Inces- 
sant, uninterrupted toil wears out the energies of man's limited 
strength. The elasticity of the spring is destroyed by unabated 
pressure. The nervous system io especially relieved by alterna- 
tions of activity and repose, and by diversification of impressions. 
The sacred quietness of the sabbath takes off from the brain that 
excessive fulness of blood which the mental and bodily exercise of 
six days is calculated to produce. The change of dress, the social 
worship, the physical rest, and the transfer of thought and feeling 
from earthly interests to higher objects, not only harmonize the 
moral, but they refresh and invigorate the bodily powers. All ex- 
perience is expressive of this universal proposition, that a longer 
life and a greater degree of health, are the sure results of a careful 
regard to the commandment, ' Remember the sabbath-day to keep it 

holy.' » 

^ 11 



122 APFENDIX. 

Dr. J. C. Warren, of Boston, says, " So far as my observation 
has extended, those persons who are in the habit of avoiding 
worldly cares on the sabbath, are those most remarkable for the 
perfect performance of their duties during the week. The influ- 
ence of a change of thought, on the sabbath, upon the minds of 
such persons, resembles that of the change of food upon the body. 
It seems to give a fresh spring to the mental operations, as the latter 
does to the physical. / have a firm belief that such persons are able 
to do more work, and do it in a better manner, in six days, than if 
they worked the whole seven. The breathing of the pure and sub- 
lime atmosphere of a religious sabbath refreshes and invigorates 
the spirit. It forms an epoch in our existence from which we 
receive a new impulse, and thus constitutes the best preparation 
for the labors of the following week." 

At a regular meeting of the New Haven Medical Association, 
composed of twenty-five physicians, among whom were the profes- 
sors of the Medical College, the following questions were considered: 

1. Is the position taken by Dr. Farre, in his testimony before 
the committee of the British House of Commons, in your view, 
correct? 2. Will men who labor but six days in a week be more 
healthy and live longer, other things being equal, than those who 
labor seven ? 3. Will they do more work, and do it in a better 
manner? — The vote on the above was unanimously in the affirma- 
tive; signed by Eli Ives, chairman, and Pliny A. Jewett, clerk. 

The opinions of the above, and numerous other distinguished 
medical gentlemen, are abundantly confirmed by facts. " Several 
physicians who have lived in the neighborhood of the Erie canal, 
have witnessed the deteriorating effects of seven days' working 
upon the physical constitution, both of man and beast — making it 
fully evident, that men are more sickly than others, bring upon 
themselves, in greater numbers, a premature old age, and sink to an 
untimely grave. Not only is it true that men who labor but six 
days in a week, and rest one, are more healthy, merely, and live 
longer than those who labor seven ; but they do more work, and in 
a better manner. The experiment was tried in England, upon two 
thousand men. They were employed for years seven days in a 



APPENDIX. 123 

week. To render them contented in giving up their right to the 
sabbath as a day of rest, {that birth-right of the human family ',) they 
paid them double wages on that day, i. e. eight days' wages for 
seven days' labor. But they could not keep them healthy, nor make 
them moral. Things went badly, and they changed their course — 
employed the workmen only six days in a week, and allowed them 
to rest on the sabbath. The consequence was, that they did more 
work than ever before. This, the superintendent said, was owing 
to two causes, viz., the demoralization of the people under the first 
system, and their exhaustion of bodily strength, which was visible to 
the most casual observer. 

In the year 1839, a committee was appointed in the legislature 
of Pennsylvania, who made a report with regard to the employ- 
ment of laborers on their canals. In that report, they say, in 
reference to those who had petitioned against the employment of 
the workmen on the sabbath : " They assert, as the result of their 
experience, that both man and beast can do more work by resting 
one day in seven, than by working on the whole seven." They 
also add, " Your committee feel free to confess that their own expe- 
rience, as business men, farmers, or legislators, corresponds with 
the assertion," 

The minister of marine in France has addressed a letter to "all 
the maritime prefects, directing that no workman, except in case of 
absolute necessity, be employed in the government dock-yards on 
the sabbath. One reason which he gives is, that men who do not 
rest on the sabbath do not perform as much labor during the week, 
and, of course, that it is not profitable to the state to have labor per- 
formed on that day. Another reason is, that it is useful to the state 
to promote among the laboring classes, the religious observance of 
the sabbath. 

The experiment was tried in a large flouring establishment. 
For a number of years, they worked the mills seven days in a 
week. The superintendent was then changed. He ordered all 
the works to be stopped at eleven o'clock on Saturday night, and 
to start none of them till one o'clock on Monday morning j thug 



124 



allowing a full sabbath every week. The consequence was, that 
the same workmen, during the year, actually ground thousands of 
bushels more than had ever been ground, in a single year, in that 
establishment before. The men having been permitted to cleanse 
themselves, put on their best apparel, rest from worldly business, 
go with their families to the house of God, and devote the sabbath 
to its appropriate duties, were more healthy, moral, punctual and 
diligent. They lost less time in drinking, dissipation and quarrels. 
They were more clear-headed and whole-hearted ; knew better how 
to do things, and were more disposed to do them in the right way. 
It has been said that those who manufacture salt by boiling, 
must violate the sabbath, because it will not do to let the kettles 
cool down as often as once a week. But a gentleman tried the 
experiment, who said that, if he could not keep the sabbath, he 
would not make salt. He had thirty-two kettles. He allowed 
the fires to go out, and all the works to stop, from Saturday till 
Monday. His men attended public worship on the sabbath. la 
the course of the season, they boiled seventy-eight days, and made, 
upon an average, over two hundred bushels of salt a day — in all 
fifteen thousand eight hundred and seventy bushels ; and at an 
expense, for breakage and repairs, of only six cents. At the close 
of the season, he told his sabbath-breaking neighbors how much 
he had made ; but it was so much more than they had made 
themselves, that they could hardly believe him. Their expenses 
for breakage and repairs had been much greater than his. Not a 
man, with the same dimensions of kettles, had made as much salt 
as he. 

It was formerly supposed that lime could not be manufactured, 
without burning the kilns nine or ten days. A man in the state 
of Vermont became convinced that he ought no longer to be em- 
ployed in making the article, as it kept him from the house of God 
on the sabbath. He however tried the experiment of making 
mailer kibis, so that he could set his fires on Monday morning, 
and finish them on Saturday. The kilns would cool on the sab- 
bath as well as on any other day, and in less time than larger 
ones. He soon ascertained that it was best in his case, and no 



APPENDIX. 125 

longer practised burning lime on that day. His lime, too, was of 
the first quality, and always commanded a ready market and a 
good price. The writer of this article was well acquainted with 
the man, and the facts in the case — and it is supposed that coal 
pits might be burned within a week, if not made too large. 

A gentleman who resides in a fishing town, and who has made 
extensive inquiries, remarks : " Those who fish on the sabbath do 
not, ordinarily, take any more, during the season, than those who 
keep the sabbath. They do not make more money, or prosper 
better for this world. They are not more respectable or useful, 
nor are their families." " One man followed fishing eight years. 
The first four he fished on the sabbath. The next four he strictly 
kept the sabbath, and is satisfied that it was for his advantage in a 
temporal point of view." " Another man testifies that, in the year 
1827, he and his men took more fish by far than any who were 
associated with them, though he kept the sabbath, and they did 
not. It was invariably his practice to rest from Saturday till 
Monday. Though it was an unfavorable season for the fisheries, 
he was greatly prospered in every way, and to such an extent that 
many regarded his success as almost miraculous." 

A gentleman belonging to another fishing town, which sends 
out more than two hundred vessels in a year, writes as follows : 
"I think it may safely be stated that those vessels which have 
not fished on the sabbath have, taken together, met with more than 
ordinary success. The vessel whose earnings were the highest, 
the last year, and the year before, was one on board which the 
sabbath was kept by refraining from labor, and by religious wor- 
ship. There is one firm which has had eight vessels in its employ 
this season. Seven have fished on the sabbath, and one has not. 
That one has earned seven hundred dollars more than the most 
successful of the six." 

Laboring animals, when employed but six days in a week, and 
allowed to rest one, are more healthy than they can be when em- 
ployed during the whole seven. They do more work and live 
longer. ^ 



126 APPENDIX. 

The experiment was tried on a hundred and twenty horses. 
They were employed, for years, seven days in a week. But they 
became unhealthy, and finally died so fast, that the owner put 
them on a six days' arrangement. After this he was not obliged 
to replenish them one-fourth part as often as before. Numerous 
testimonials might be brought forward tending to establish these 
facts, were there room to admit them under this head. 

Sir Matthew Hale says : " Though my hands and my mind 
have been as full of secular business both before and after I was 
judge, as, it may be, any man's in England, yet I never wanted 
time in six days to ripen and fit myself for the business and em- 
ployments I had to do, though I borrowed not one minute from 
the Lord's day, to prepare for it by study or otherwise. But on 
the other hand, if I had, at any time, borrowed from this day, any 
time for my secular employment, I found it did further me less 
than if I had let it alone." ( 

The late Dr. Wilson, of Philadelphia, before he became a 
preacher of the gospel, was an eminent lawyer in the state of 
Delaware. He was accustomed, when pressed with business, to 
make out his briefs, and prepare for his Monday's pleading, on 
the sabbath. But he so uniformly failed, during the week, in 
carrying out his Sunday plans, that it arrested his attention. As 
a philosopher, he inquired into the cause of his uniform failure, 
and came to the conclusion that it might be, and probably was, 
on account of his violation of the sabbath, by employing it in secu- 
lar business. He therefore, from that time, abandoned the prac- 
tice of doing any thing for his clients on that day. The difficulty 
ceased. His efforts on Monday were as successful as on other 
days. Many others have testified to similar facts in their ex- 
perience. 

Mr. WicklifTe, the late P. M. General, writes: "Remember 
the sabbath day to keep it holy," is a divine commandment. I 
pray you, my children, learn early its importance. It was a re- 
mark of my venerable mother, often made to me, that " no good 
ever came of Sunday-work," and I have usually found it to be so. 
Even if persons do not belong to any church, a regular attendance 



APPENDIX. 127 

upon divine service chastens the feelings, and better fits and pre- 
pares them for companions. 

A man who ridiculed the idea that God makes a difference in 
his providence between those who yield visible obedience to his 
laws and those who do not, had been engaged, on a certain sab- 
bath, in gathering crops into his barn. The next week he had 
occasion to take fire out into his field in order to burn some brush. 
He left it, as he supposed, safely, and went in to dinner. The 
wind took the fire, and carried it into his barn-yard, which was 
filled with combustibles, and, before he was aware of it, the flames 
were bursting out of his barn. He arose in amazement, saw that 
all was lost, and, fixing his eye on the curling flames, stood 
speechless. Then, raising his finger, and pointing to the rising 
column of fire, he said, with solemn emphasis, " That is the finger 
of God." 

Chancellor Walworth, in his letter to the National Sabbath 
Convention, says : " Allow me to refer to the case of the total abro- 
gation of the sabbath by revolutionary France. That abrogation 
was accompanied by a general corruption of morals, and even by 
the breaking up of the conjugal relation, under the law allowing 
an unlimited divorce at the mere will of the parties, when, as the 
Abbe Gregoire states, upwards of twenty thousand divorces were 
registered in the short space of eighteen months ; and those in the 
city of Paris were nearly equal to the number of marriages. 
There again the headless trunks of unnumbered thousands of con- 
tending factions attested the righteous indignation of the God of 
the sabbath, at this national desecration and abrogation of his holy 
day, and the extinction of all religion." 

Dr. Stuart, the late Bishop of Quebec, was a person who be- 
lieved in, and noticed the providence of God in the affairs of men. 
In a sermon, preached after the close of the late war, he recog- 
nized the hand of God in the defeat of their army and fleet at 
Plattsburgh, — because they came out to engage in battle with the 
Americans on the sabbath. 

When the Hartford and New-Haven Rail-Road first went into 
operation, the superintendent and directors were determined to 



128 APPENDIX. 

carry freight on the sabbath, notwithstanding many of the stock- 
holders remonstrated against it. It is a fact, that soon after they 
commenced, about a thousand dollars worth of cotton was de- 
stroyed by fire from the locomotive, while running the cars on the 
sabbath. 

Dr. D wight observes: "To this institution we owe far the 
greater part of the spiritual blessings which we enjoy ; and in a 
high sense we owe them all. But for this day, we should neither 
have sought, nor secured, eternal life : for where no sabbath is, 
there is no religion. But for this day, earthly things would have 
engrossed all our thoughts. Honor, wealth, and pleasure, are the 
real sirens which charm mankind to shipwreck and death. To 
their songs the ear of man is by nature attuned, and the heart 
beats in regular response. But for this day, the world, as a canker, 
would rust, corrupt, and consume all the disposition to piety, and 
all the hopes of heaven. The soul would be benumbed. Reli- 
gion would die. God would be forgotten. The death of Christ 
would be vain. Mankind would cease to be saved ; and heaven 
would fail of her destined inhabitants. How desolate the prospect ! 
How strongly would this world resemble the regions of final 
despair ; where no sabbath dawns ; where no prayers nor praises 
ascend ; no sermons proclaim pardon and peace to sinners ; the 
voice of mercy never sounds ; and the smiles of forgiving, redeem- 
ing and sanctifying love never illumine the dreary valley of the 

shadow of death." 

" The sabbath is a rest from sin, business, and pleasure ; a day 
in which God is worshipped, divine knowledge improved, and 
holiness attained and increased ; a day in which saints delight- 
fully commune, and joyfully celebrate the wonders of creation, and 
the sublimer wonders of redemption. On the sabbath God is pecu- 
liarly present, reconciled, forgiving, and sanctifying; and the 
Spirit of truth eminently communicates comfortable evidence of 
divine love, whispers peace, and inspires joy. The sabbath is, 
therefore, the day of hope and consolation, of enjoyment and tri- 
umph ; the foretaste of heaven; the entrance to the glorious 
assembly of the blessed." 



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